Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the morphological changes of the inharmonious growth of mandible in rats.
We investigated a rat (6-week-old, male) mandibular asymmetry model to assess the growth changes in morphological study after removal of lateral guide plane. A mandibular lateral guide plane (shift to the left side) was applied to the upper incisors of rats for 8 weeks (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 weeks after removal of lateral guide plane). After mandibular asymmetry was recongnized, the mandible was observed.
In morphological measurement, there were no diferences in mandibular height and mandibular body length until the 8th week between left and right sides after removal of the lateral guide plane. However, the mandibular length of the left side was significantly shorter than that of the right side. After 4 weeks there was no difference between the left and right sides. Moreover, the deformity of condyle in the left side recovered after removal of the lateral guide plane. These results suggested that the early treatment of mandibular shift is necessary to treat mandibular asymmetry.
