Severe reversed occlusion due to marked maxillary undergrowth is often observed in patients with cleft lip and palate.
In this case, maxillary distraction osteogenesis (DOG) was applied to an adult cleft lip and palate patient with reversed occlusion. Taking into account that his malocclusion was caused by disharmony between the maxilla and the mandible, two-stage orthognathic surgery was performed between-pre and post-orhodontic treatment.
The first surgery, a Le-Fort I osteotomy, was applied 32 months after the presurgical orthodontic treatment, followed by DOG at one week after the first surgery. The distraction pinned in zygomatic bones was activated for 20 days at a rate of 0.5mm/day.
The second surgery, a sagittal splitting ramus osteotomy (SSRQ), was carried out seven months after the first.
The features of the distraction device used in this patient were as follows,
1. The shaft of the device could protrude from the skin, minimizing skin damage.
2. The device can be used as a fixation appliance after the distraction.
The following evaluations were performed before and after distraction, and during retention, based on the results obtained by the treatment.
1. Facial profile and occlusion.
2. Amount and direction of jaw and tooth movement.
3. Occulusal contact area and occlusal force for each area utilizing pressure sensitive occlusal force sheets.
The facial profile was improved by fan after treatment because of the balance between the upper lip and lower lip.
The amounts of maxillary extention and mandibular set-back were 11.4mm and 10.0mm, respectively.
No difference in the occlusal contact area between the pre-distractive stage and the retention stage was observed. On the other hand, the occlusal force for each area at the retention stage increased compared with those at the pre-distractive stage.
These findings suggested that the combined use of maxillary DOG and SSRO was useful in treatment of patients with cleft lip and palate with marked undergrowth of the maxilla and overgrowth of the mandible.
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