title: [A stability study of hard tissue changes in patients with skeletal class III malocclusion after orthodontic-orthognathic treatments].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to analyze the changes of hard tissues at each treatment stage in patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion after orthodontic-orthognathic surgery, and to assess the long-term stability after treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  24 patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion were selected. Standardized lateral cephalograms at the following stages were taken for each patient: Before treatment (T0), 3 months after surgery (T1), 1 year after surgery (T2), 3 years after surgery (T3). A total of 16 hard tissue landmarks were selected and evaluated at different stages. SPSS 12.0 software was used to study the changes of the hard tissues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1) Comparison of angles between stage T0 and T1, except N-S-Ar, N-S-Ba, N-S-Go, NBa-PtGn and Y axis, other discrepancies all had statistical significances. 2) Comparison of angles between stage T1, and T2, only SNPo and U1-SN had significant differences. 3) Comparison of angles between stage T1 and T3, only U1-SN had an obvious change. 4) Comparison of the angles between stage T2 and T3, all angle changes had no statistical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From three months to one year after surgery, the hard tissue angles varied more or less, but that did not essentially affect the surgery results. It is concluded that the orthodontic-orthognathic treatment of skeletal Class III malocclusion had a long-term stability.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Orthodontics, School of Stomatology, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China.
authors.forename: Xu-Xia
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wen-Juan
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hong-Tao
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Shi