Effects of Removable Functional Orthodontic\rapparatus on Mandibular Condyle Bone Quality

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to compare the impact of dynamic functional\rorthodontic appliances on mandibular condyle bone density in patients\rwith Class I, Class II, and Class III malocclusion during their growth and\rdevelopment phases.\rMethodology: The histories of patients with three separate\rmalocclusions who received dynamic functional orthodontic appliance\rtreatment were analyzed in this retrospective study. Twenty-eight\rpatients met the inclusion criteria and were divided into four groups:\rmaxillary expansion devices (Group A), twinblock/monoblock devices\r(Group B), face masks (Group C), and chincups (Group D). The fractal\ranalysis approach was used to determine the mandibular condyle bone\rdensity by analyzing panoramic films taken from the patients at the\rbeginning (T0) and end (T1) of treatment.\rResults: In Groups A and B, the results of the mandibular condyle bone\rfractal analysis decreased at the end of treatment compared with the\rpre-treatment results (p < 0.05). In Groups C and D, the post-treatment\rresults were better than the pre-treatment ones (p < 0.05).\rConclusion: Among the different malocclusion groups, some dynamic\rfunctional orthodontic appliances (maxillary expansion and\rtwinblock/monoblock devices) enabled an increase in bone density in the\rmandibular condyle, while some (face masks and chincups) decreased the\rdensity. It is important to conduct orthodontic treatment by analyzing\rthe results obtained with the use of these appliances.