title: [Pre- and post-surgical orthodontic treatment for skeletal open bite].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To Study the principles and rules of pre- and post-surgical orthodontic treatment for skeletal open bite patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two surgically treated open bite cases were analyzed, of which 9 were males, and 23 were females, aged from 16 to 38. Open bite was from 1 to 8.5 mm, average was 4 mm. 31 patients were Class III malocclusion, while 1 patient was Class II malocclusion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1. Totally 21 patients were treated with orthodontics before and after orthognathic surgery, while 8 patients had pre-surgical orthodontics only, and other 3 had post-surgical orthodontics only. The duration for pre-surgical orthodontics was from 4 to 33 months, average was 12 months. The duration for post-surgical orthodontics was from 3 to 17 months, average was 8.5 months. 2. Presurgical orthodontic treatment included: Alignment of arches, decompensation of incisors, avoiding extrusion of incisors, and slight expansion of arches for coordination of arches. 3. Post-surgical orthodontic treatment included: Closure of residual spaces in the arches, realignment of arches, vertical elastics and Class II or III intermaxillary elastics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Skeletal open bites require combined orthodontic-orthognathic surgery for optimal and esthetical pleasing results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontic, Peking University School of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024343:Open Bite / Q000601:surgery*; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective