Evaluation of vertical skeletal changes following molar space closure in skeletal open bite patients

Abstract

Treatment of open bite malocclusion is complex and challenging because of the potential for relapse and the possibility of compromised esthetics. Our objective in this study, was to evaluate vertical skeletal changes following molar space closure in skeletal open bite patients.Materials & Methods: 20 patients of this study had skeletal open bite characterized by interincisal distance more than 2mm, mandibular plane angle more than 30 degrees and Gonial angle more than 125 degrees; and their first or second molars in one or both of the arches were extracted bilateraly and they were treated by closing molar space, bilaterally, with fixed orthodontics. Before and after treatment lateral cephalometric radiographs of patients were analyzed and parameters of skeletal, dental and soft tissue of vertical dimension were assessed. All data were statistically analyzed and the differences between before and after treatment compared with wilcoxon test. In this study, P-value less than 0.05 was known significant.Results: There was significant decrease in parameters such as Lower Anterior Face Height (LAFH), Posterior Face Height (PFH), LAFH/TAFH, Upper incisal Inclination, Lower Incisal Inclination and also significant increase in Upper Second Molar Inclination and UAFH/LAFH between pre and post treatment.Conclusions: According to the results of this study, open bite treatment was the result of both maxillary and mandibular incisors retroinclination and reduction in LAFH&PFH, but Mandibular Plane Angle showed no significant changes after treatment.