Long-term follow-up of Class II adults treated with orthodontic camouflage: a comparison with orthognathic surgery outcomes

Abstract

Thirty-one adults who had been treated with orthodontics alone for Class II malocclusions were recalled at least 5 years posttreatment to evaluate cephalometric and occlusal stability and also their satisfaction with treatment outcomes. The data were compared with similar data for long-term outcomes in patients with more severe Class II problems who had surgical correction with mandibular advancement, maxillary impaction, or a combination of those. In the camouflage patients, small mean changes in skeletal landmark positions occurred in the long term, but the changes were generally much smaller than in the surgery patients. The percentages of patients with a long-term increase in overbite were almost identical in the orthodontic and surgery groups, but the surgery patients were nearly twice as likely to have a long-term increase in overjet. The patients' perceptions of outcomes were highly positive in both the orthodontic and the surgical groups. The orthodontics-only (camouflage) patients reported fewer functional or temporomandibular joint problems than did the surgery patients and had similar reports of overall satisfaction with treatment, but patients who had their mandibles advanced were significantly more positive about their dentofacial images.

Fig 1

Mean cephalometric changes, camouflage group, during treatment.

Fig 2

Mean cephalometric changes, camouflage group, end of treatment to long-term recall.

Fig 3

Percentage of patients in each group with >2 mm change in horizontal landmark positions from end of treatment to long-term recall. No camouflage patient had >2 mm change.

Fig 4

Percentage of patients with >2 mm change in vertical landmark positions from end of treatment to long-term recall.

Fig 5

Percentage of patients with >2 mm change in dimensions from end of treatment to long-term recall.