Distal movement of maxillary molars in nongrowing patients with the skeletal anchorage system.
BACKGROUND
It is now possible to predictably move maxillary molars distally in nongrowing patients with the skeletal anchorage system (SAS) and to improve malocclusions without having to extract the premolars and regardless of the patient's compliance. The purposes of this study were to investigate the amount of distal movement of the maxillary first molars, the type of movement, the difference between actual and predicted amounts of distalization, and the relationship between the amount of distalization and age.


METHODS
Twenty-five nongrowing patients (22 female, 3 male) successfully treated with the SAS were the subjects in this study. The amount and the type of distalization, the difference between predicted and resulting amounts of distalization, and the relationship between the patient's age and the amount of distalization were analyzed with wide-opening cephalometric radiographs.


RESULTS
The average amount of distalization of the maxillary first molars was 3.78 mm at the crown level and 3.20 mm at the root level. The amount of distalization at the crown level was significantly correlated with the average value of treatment goals (3.60 mm).


CONCLUSIONS
The maxillary molars were predictably distalized in accordance with the individualized treatment goals without regard to patient age and extraction of the third or second molars. The SAS is a viable noncompliance modality to move maxillary molars for distally correcting maxillary protrusions and malocclusions characterized by maxillary incisor crowding.
Sugawara
Junji
J
Division of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Graduate School of Dentistry, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. sugahara@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp
Kanzaki
Reiko
R
Takahashi
Ichiro
I
Nagasaka
Hiroshi
H
Nanda
Ravindra
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001860:Bone Plates; D002508:Cephalometry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000628:therapy; D008437:Maxilla; D008875:Middle Aged; D008963:Molar / Q000503:physiopathology*; D052280:Orthodontic Anchorage Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation; D014087:Tooth Movement Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*