Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2022 May 27;9(6):784.
doi: 10.3390/children9060784.

Intercepting of Class III Malocclusion with a Novel Mechanism Built on the Orthopaedic Appliance: A Case Report

Paolo Manzo  1 , Maria Elena De Felice  2 , Sara Caruso  2 , Roberto Gatto  2 , Silvia Caruso  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Intercepting of Class III Malocclusion with a Novel Mechanism Built on the Orthopaedic Appliance: A Case Report

Paolo Manzo et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Aim: The following case report aims to show a novel orthopaedic appliance to reduce the side effects of the orthopaedic Class III treatment through the use of two acrylic splints combined with a PowerScope device.

Materials and methods: This case report describes the treatment of a 6-year-old patient with a skeletal Class III relationship with a maxillary deficiency and a severe hyperdivergency. The patient underwent a sagittal orthopaedic treatment with a PowerScope device for 12 months. The retention period lasted 4 months.

Results: The response of the craniofacial complex to the active orthopaedic treatment of the Class III malocclusion with the PowerScope™ device splints consisted of significant changes in maxillary growth and position. Both angular and linear sagittal measurements of the maxilla showed improvements during active treatment, respectively, of 0.6° and 1.2 mm (SNA from 75.8° to 76.4°; maxillary length from 38.8 mm to 40 mm). These effects allowed for a highly significant improvement in the maxillomandibular skeletal relationships. ANB improved by 1.6° and Wits appraisal by 4 mm. Using this appliance in a hyperdivergent patient, we obtained a vertical control of the mandible with a SN/Go-Gn stable value at 40° and a significant improvement of the ANS-PNS/GoGn angle from 30° to 28°.

Conclusion: The Class III orthopaedic treatment with the PowerScope™ telescopic and NiTi spring device mounted on the upper and lower resin splints in a Class III correction offered good vertical control during the early orthopaedic treatment by improving the skeletal discrepancy and controlling the hyperdivergency, which is one of the most difficult factors to control in Class III malocclusions.

Keywords: Class III malocclusion; functional appliance; orthopaedic treatment; paediatric dentistry.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Extraoral pre-treatment pictures: lateral and frontal views; (b) Intraoral pre-treatment pictures: lateral and frontal views; (c) Occlusal views: upper and lower arches.
Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Extraoral pre-treatment pictures: lateral and frontal views; (b) Intraoral pre-treatment pictures: lateral and frontal views; (c) Occlusal views: upper and lower arches.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pretreatment radiographic records: (a) lateral cephalogram; (b) orthopantomogram.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Frontal and lateral views of a bonded rapid palatal expander; (b) occlusal view of the upper arch.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Frontal and lateral views at the beginning of the treatment with Class III PowerScope.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a,b) The Class III PowerScope appliance with two fixed acrylic splints and a telescopic mechanism with a Ni–Ti internal spring system.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) Extraoral post-treatment pictures: lateral and frontal views; (b) Intraoral post-treatment pictures: lateral and frontal views; occlusal views: upper and lower arches.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Post-treatment radiographic records: (a) lateral cephalogram; (b) orthopantomogram.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Superimposition of cephalometric tracings before treatment (black) and at the end of treatment (red): (a) general superimposition; (b) superimposition of the maxilla; (c) superimposition of the mandible.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sidlauskas A., Lopatiene K. The prevalence of malocclusion among 7–15-year-old Lithuanian schoolchildren. Medicina. 2009;45:147–152. doi: 10.3390/medicina45020019. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Perillo L., Masucci C., Ferro F., Apicella D., Baccetti T. Prevalence of orthodontic treatment need in southern Italian schoolchildren. Eur. J. Orthod. 2010;32:49–53. doi: 10.1093/ejo/cjp050. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Proffit W.R. The timing of early treatment: An overview. Am. J. Orthod. Dentofac. Orthop. 2006;129:S47–S49. doi: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2005.09.014. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fleming P.S. Timing orthodontic treatment: Early or late? Aust. Dent. J. 2017;62((Suppl. 1)):11–19. doi: 10.1111/adj.12474. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Toffol L.D., Pavoni C., Baccetti T., Franchi L., Cozza P. Orthopedic treatment outcomes in Class III malocclusion. A systematic review. Angle Orthod. 2008;78:561–573. doi: 10.2319/030207-108.1. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types