Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in craniofacial structures at the prepubertal stage between skeletal class III patients treated only orthodontically (orthodontic group) and patients who received both orthodontic treatment and orthognathic surgery (surgical group) following growth control with a maxillary protraction appliance. The surgical group consisted of 5 males and 6 females (mean age, 9.8 years), and the orthodontic group consisted of 6 males and 11 females (mean age, 8.5 years). Cephalometric variables for evaluating skeletal and dentoalveolar structures were measured using lateral cephalograms taken at the first visit. The unpaired t-test and multiple-regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. With regard to skeletal cephalometric measurements, the gonial angle was significantly larger, and Wits appraisal was significantly smaller, in the surgical group compared with the orthodontic group. Although no significant difference was found in dentoalveolar cephalometric measurements, the functional occlusal plane tended to be steeper in the surgical group.The results of multiple-regression analysis indicated that Wits appraisal could be used to effectively discriminate between the two groups. Furthermore, none of the patients in the orthodontic group had a Wits appraisal value below-15mm. These results suggest that Wits appraisal may be useful for deciding whether to apply surgical or orthodontic treatment in the future at the prepubertal stage.
