Occlusal changes during orthognathic therapy using a completely customised lingual appliance - initial retrospective...

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Background:

• Orthognathic surgery corrects severe skeletal malocclusions.
• Achieving optimal dental arch alignment before surgery is crucial for successful outcomes.
• Completely customized lingual appliances (CCLAs) offer a discreet orthodontic treatment option.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate treatment outcomes of orthognathic surgery using CCLAs.
• To specifically assess pre-surgical orthodontic decompensation with CCLAs.
• To compare outcomes in Class II and Class III malocclusions.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 25 patients with Class II or III malocclusion treated with CCLAs and orthognathic surgery.
• Evaluation of study models at pre-treatment (T0), pre-surgery (T1), and post-treatment (T2).
• Analysis using the PAR Index and measurement of tooth contact points, including digital setup and operation models.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in PAR scores from T0 to T2 for both Class II and III groups (p < 0.002).
• Excellent final PAR scores achieved, with no significant differences between Class II and III groups (p = 0.246).
• High correlation between digital setup models and final outcomes, indicating precise pre-surgical planning.

Conclusions:

• CCLAs are effective for achieving high-quality outcomes in combined orthognathic treatment for Class II and III malocclusions.
• CCLAs facilitate optimal pre-surgical dental arch alignment, contributing to treatment success.
• The use of CCLAs in orthognathic surgery leads to excellent final occlusal results.