Skeletal and Dentoalveolar Effects Using Three Types of Maxillary Protraction Protocols

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
• Craniofacial Growth and Development
• Biomaterials in Orthodontics

Background:

• Maxillary hypoplasia is a common orthodontic concern.
• Facemask therapy is a standard treatment for correcting Class III malocclusion.
• Different facemask protocols exist, each with potential advantages and disadvantages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the skeletal and dentoalveolar effects of three facemask protocols in children.
• To evaluate the efficacy of bone-anchored facemasks (BAFM), MARPE with facemask (MARPE/FM), and RPE with facemask (RPE/FM).

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 48 children divided into three groups: BAFM, MARPE/FM, and RPE/FM.
• Lateral cephalograms were analyzed before and after treatment to assess skeletal and dentoalveolar changes.
• Statistical analysis included one-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Main Results:

• BAFM and MARPE/FM groups showed significantly greater maxillary advancement and intermaxillary relationship improvement than the RPE/FM group.
• BAFM demonstrated superior protraction of the orbitale compared to MARPE/FM and RPE/FM.
• MARPE/FM and BAFM resulted in less maxillary first molar mesial movement and extrusion than RPE/FM.

Conclusions:

• BAFM and MARPE/FM yield greater orthopedic effects in maxillary protraction and intermaxillary relationship correction than RPE/FM.
• MARPE/FM shows less midface traction effect compared to BAFM.
• MARPE/FM is more effective in preventing undesirable mesial movement and extrusion of maxillary first molars.