Treatment of severe mandibular deficiency following TMJ ankyloses by distraction osteogenesis and orthodontic treatment with microimplants

Severe mandibular deficiency caused by temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankyloses produces functional and aesthetic problems that require complicated long-term treatment. In this case report, we describe the benefits of using microimplant mechanics for controlling the direction of distraction during distraction osteogenesis and for performing the movement of teeth. We also present its remarkable results and long-term stability. A 20-year-old girl presented with a convex profile due to severe mandibular retrognathia after a history of several TMJ surgeries for bilateral TMJ ankyloses. Mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) was performed, and elastics were placed between the microimplants to control the direction of distraction. Subsequently, after retraction of the maxillary anterior teeth and distalisation of the whole mandibular dentition, the facial profile was markedly improved, and good interdigitation was obtained. The six-year follow-up retention and overall stability were satisfactory with good interdigitation and jaw function.

A New Orthodontic-Surgical Approach to Mandibular Retrognathia

(1) Background: Mandibular deficiency is one of the most common growth disorders of the facial skeleton. Recently, distraction osteogenesis has been suggested as the treatment of choice for overcoming the limitations of conventional orthognathic surgery; (2) Methods: A new custom-manufactured dental-anchored distractor was built and anchored in the first molar and lower canine. It consists of a stainless-steel disjunction screw, adapted and welded to the orthodontic bands through two 1.2 mm diameter connector bars with a universal silver-based and cadmium-free solder; (3) Results: The distractor described can be a useful tool to correct mandibular retrognathia and is better tolerated by patients, especially in severe cases; (4) Conclusions: The dental-anchored distractor increases the anterior mandibular bone segment without affecting the gonial angle or transverse angulation of the segments and avoids posterior mandibular rotation, overcoming the limitations of conventional surgical treatment.

Intraoral scanning of neonates and infants with craniofacial disorders: feasibility, scanning duration, and clinical experience

Summary Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate intraoral scanning (IOS) in infants, neonates, and small children with craniofacial anomalies for its feasibility, scanning duration, and success rate. Impression taking in vulnerable patients can be potentially life-threatening, with the risk of airway obstruction and aspiration of impression material. The advantage of increasingly digitalized dentistry is demonstrated. Materials and methods IOS was captured with the Trios 3® (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark) intraoral scanner. The underlying disorders were divided into cleft lip and palate (CLP), Trisomy 21 (T21), Robin Sequence (RS), Treacher Collins syndrome (TC), and isolated mandibular retrognathia (MR). Scan data were analysed by scanning duration, number of images, possible correlations of these factors with the different craniofacial disorders, patient age, and relationship between first and subsequent scans. Clinical experiences with the repeated digital impressions are described. Results Patient data of 141 scans in 83 patients were analysed within an 11-month period. Patients had a median age of 137 days. Median scanning duration was 138 seconds, resulting in a median of 352 images. There was a statistically significant difference in scanning duration (P = 0.001) between infants and neonates. IOS took longest in patients with CLP (537 seconds) and shortest in T21 patients (21 seconds), although there was no statistically significant difference between aetiologies. There was no statistically significant difference between first and subsequent scans in scanning duration. In four cases the IOS had to be repeated, and one patient ultimately required conventional impression taking (all CLP patients; success rate 94%). No severe adverse events occurred. Conclusion IOS is a fast, safe, and feasible procedure for neonates, small children, and infants with craniofacial malformations. One special challenge for both technician and user was identified in patients with CLP, though implementing this new approach of digital impression taking was otherwise found to be highly successful in everyday clinical routine.

Steering the Mandible in the Right Direction : Forsus Case Series

We are in the process of discovery of new vistas for technological advances in terms of various appliances with a vision of making orthodontic treatment compliance free as well as successful. Due to improved technology, the enigma of treating the Class II syndrome is palliated. “Out of the box” thinking has become a norm to treat certain situations that were not corrected in noncompliant patients. Fixed functional appliances are valuable tools introduced to assist the correction of skeletal Class II malocclusion with mandibular retrognathia at the deceleration stage of growth for achieving stable results. In this direction a case series is reported of patients having the above conditions and undergoing orthodontic treatment using a Forsus FFA. Joining hands with technology is a win-win situation for both the patient and the orthodontist.

Comparison of objective wear time between monoblock and twin-block appliances measured by microsensor

ABSTRACT Objectives To assess the objective compliance levels in skeletal Class II patients with mandibular retrognathia wearing monoblock and twin-block appliances. Materials and Methods A prospective clinical study was conducted with 30 patients between 10 and 15 years old who were equally divided into two study groups. Group 1 was treated with monoblock, and group 2 was treated with twin-block appliances. The patients were instructed to wear their appliance for 15 hours per day. Wear times were monitored by a microsensor. (TheraMon; MCTechnology, Hargelsberg, Austria) for an average of six appointments. Patients were also instructed to record their wear times on a chart, and this record was admitted as subjective wear time. Statistical analysis was performed with the data derived from both the patients' charts and the monitoring records. Results The mean wear time by the patients was 10.67 ± 3.93 hours, which was less than the 15 hours prescribed by the orthodontist, with no difference between the two appliances (P > .05). The regular use rate, which included the days with a wear time of 8 hours or more per day, was 75%. Compliance levels decreased by 35% throughout the six control appointments. Patients declared that their wear time was more than their objective wear time by an average of 3.76 hours. Conclusions Despite their different designs, there was no significant difference between the monoblock and twin-block appliances in terms of compliance.

Comparative Evaluation of Esthetic and Structural Aspects in Class II Functional Therapy. A Case-Control Retrospective Study

To compare the skeletal, dental, and esthetic changes produced by three functional devices, Fränkel-2 appliance (FR-2), Twin Block (TB), and Occlus-o-Guide® (O-o-G®), for the treatment of Class II malocclusion. Methods: Sixty-five patients with Class II Division 1 malocclusion were divided into three groups and were analyzed through cephalometric analysis of skeletal, dental, and esthetic variables before and after treatment. The first group of 23 patients (F: 9; M: 14; mean age: 10.3 ± 1.08 years) was treated with FR-2, the second group of 18 patients (F: 8; M: 10; mean age 10.7 ± 1.05 years) was treated with TB, the third group (F: 11; M: 13; mean age: 9.05 ± 0.39 years) of 24 patients was treated with O-o-G®. The structural effects of the three devices were compared with a control group generated by the growth variations reported in the cephalometric atlas of Bhatia and Leighton. Esthetic analysis was performed comparing the results of the patients treated with a control group of 20 subjects with mandibular retrognathia and Class II Division 1 malocclusion, not subjected to therapy. Results: The three devices resulted in a significant increase in mandibular length, with higher results obtained for FR-2 and TB. A statistically significant increase in the IMPA angle was found for the O-o-G® group, and a notable reduction of both overjet and overbite was detected in all three groups of treated patients. The esthetic evaluation showed overall more significant results in the TB group, especially with regard to the reduction of facial convexity. The retrusion of the upper lip was on average more significant in the O-o-G® group, followed by that in the TB. Conclusion: All three devices have proven to be effective overall in resolving skeletal changes and improving facial esthetics.

Three-Dimensional Evaluation of Soft Tissue Changes after Functional Therapy

This study was aimed at proposing a three-dimensional (3D) evaluation method for the soft tissue effects of Twin Block (TB) functional appliance therapy by using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. In this retrospective study, a total of 60 pre- and posttreatment (T0 and T1) CBCT images of Class II patients with mandibular retrognathia treated with a TB appliance were used. Volumetric and linear soft tissue changes were evaluated quantitatively with 3D measurements and qualitatively with color mapping visual. Linear (NV-A and NV-Pog) and angular (SNA, SNB, and ANB) skeletal changes were also measured on 3D images. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare statistical differences, and the scores of male and female participant differences were observed with the Mann–Whitney U test. In this study, a decrease was observed in SNA ( p < 0.05 ), ANB ( p < 0.01 ), and NV-Pog ( p < 0.05 ) while an increase in SNB ( p < 0.01 ) was found. However, decrease in NV-A distance was not statistically significant ( p > 0.05 ). As a result of the evaluation of soft tissue changes, while the anterior reposition of the lower lip, soft tissue pogonion, and soft tissue gnathion was found to be significant ( p < 0.01 , p < 0.01 , and p < 0.05 , respectively), the upper lip and subnasale repositions were not statistically significant ( p > 0.05 ). 3D soft tissue changes after TB therapy can be evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively by using CBCT images. Anterior repositioning of the mandible with functional therapy also provides improvement in soft tissue profile, especially in the lower facial region.

Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The Role of Orthodontic Management - Review Article

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common breathing-related sleep disorder affecting 1% to 5% of children. It often presents with less recognized signs and symptoms compared to adult OSA. Consequently, many patients with pediatric OSA remain undiagnosed. Risk factors include adenotonsillar hypertrophy, craniofacial anomalies, retrognathia, nasal obstruction, macroglossia, nasal septal deviation, and obesity. Orthodontist as a healthcare provider could have a significant role in screening, diagnostic referral, and treatment. The management approach for pediatric OSA requires multidisciplinary collaboration to obtain an optimal treatment outcome. Currently, adenotonsillectomy is recommended as first-line therapy. However, the treatment success varies considerably among patients. Children with OSA are often found to have narrow and constricted maxilla, mandibular retrognathia, and posterior rotation of mandible. Therefore, orthodontic treatment such as rapid maxillary expansion (RME), functional jaw orthopedic appliances, and protraction facemask could improve pediatric OSA with proper case selections. Additional maxillary expansion can also be performed in conjunction with adenotonsillectomy regardless of treatment sequence. The present article reviewed the currently available literature on the efficacy of various orthodontic treatments on pediatric OSA. Additional high-quality evidence is required to further substantiate the effectiveness of these orthodontic therapy. Keywords: Pediatric OSA, Orthodontic treatment, Rapid Maxillary Expansion (RME), Functional jaw orthopedic appliances, Protraction facemask

Mandibular propulsion and dental implant rehabilitation for an edentulous patient with class II malocclusion and severe obstructive sleep apnea

Introduction: Orthognathic surgery can be a treatment for occlusal, oro-facial functional disorders and esthetics discrepancies as well as for obstructive sleep apnea. It is often practiced after an orthodontic preparation, but in edentulous patients, the preparation can be replaced with implant supported prosthesis to simulate the final occlusion. Observation: A patient presenting severe obstructive sleep apnea, vertical and sagittal insufficiency of the lower third of the face and poor dental health was treated with a guided mandibular advancement and an almost complete implant supported prosthesis rehabilitation. At first, the implants were placed and immediately loaded, giving the patient a class 2 occlusion. Then, an orthognathic surgery was performed, giving the patient a class 1 occlusion, and then the final prosthesis was made. Commentaries: The interest of this case is the combined treatment of the obstructive sleep apnea, the dental and facial deformities by mandibular retrognathia and the edentulous jaws. The gold standard for obstructive sleep apnea is a maxillary and mandibular advancement. In this case, for esthetic and anatomic reasons, a mandible propulsion alone has been performed, showing a positive and stable result for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. The use of surgical guide permitted to plan the treatment with more accuracy. Conclusion: This case combines a fixed prosthetic rehabilitation, which permitted to guide the orthognathic surgery and the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.