title: Effects of posttreatment skeletal maturity measured with the cervical vertebral maturation method on incisor alignment relapse.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our aim was to test the hypothesis that relapse of incisor alignment is associated with skeletal maturity at the end of treatment, as assessed with the cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) method.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a case-control study with information from the postretention database at the University of Washington. Mandibular incisor irregularity (II) at least 10 years out of retention (T3) was used to define the subjects (II >6 mm, relapse group) and the controls (II <3.5 mm, stable group). The following model measurements were made: II at pretreatment (T1), II at posttreatment (T2), and intercanine width at T1 and T2. On cephalograms taken T2, the CVM status was determined. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between relapse and CVM status after treatment. The models were adjusted for potentially confounding variables (II at pretreatment and posttreatment, intercanine width change during treatment, sex, age at T2, and treatment alternatives).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No association between CVM stage at T2 and relapse was found (P = 0.89). Both groups had similar distributions of the CVM stages (P >0.05). Pretreatment II and postretention time were found to be correlated with long-term incisor stability (P = 0.007 and 0.034, respectively). Sex was not related to relapse (P = 0.33).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maturity of craniofacial structures at the end of treatment evaluated with the CVM method is not associated with long-term stability of incisor alignment.
authors.affiliation: Center for Craniofacial Disorders, National Research Institute for Mother and Child, Warsaw, Poland. pfudalej@op.pl
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fudalej
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Rothe
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bollen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton / Q000379:methods*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002508:Cephalometry; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development; D002648:Child; D005147:Facial Bones / Q000254:growth & development*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000145:classification / Q000628:therapy*; D003765:Models, Dental; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective; D012008:Recurrence; D012016:Reference Values; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014085:Tooth Migration / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017211:Treatment Failure