Cranial base and maxillary changes in patients treated  with Frankel' s functional regulator (1b).
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to assess cranial base and maxillary growth in patients with Class II-type I malocclusions when treated with Frankel' s functional regulator (FR-1b).


METHODS
The treatment group was made up of 43 patients that were divided into two groups: prepubescent (n: 28), and pubescent (n: 15). The control group included 40 patients who did not receive any kind of treatment and were likewise divided into a prepubescent group (n: 19), and a pubescent group (n: 21). A computerized cephalometric study was carried out and superimpositions were done in order to assess the antero-posterior, vertical and rotational movement of the maxilla.


RESULTS
The results indicate that anterior cranial length is not affected by the regulator but the cranial deflection of the treatment group was diminished. Although a slight counterclockwise rotation effect on the upper jaw was observed due to treatment, no growth restriction of the maxilla in a vertical or antero-posterior direction was observed compared to other non-treated Class II-type I malocclusion patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The functional regulator does not have any effect on anterior cranial length, but it does affect the angulation of the cranial base. According to our results, the appliance has demonstrated a flattening effect of the cranial base (p<0.05) in the treated sample. The functional regulator induces counterclockwise rotation rather than vertical or sagittal changes in the maxilla.
orthodontics, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain.
Juan-Jose
JJ
Alió-Sanz
Carmen
C
Iglesias-Conde
Jose
J
Lorenzo-Pernía
Alejandro
A
Iglesias-Linares
Asunción
A
Mendoza-Mendoza
Enrique
E
Solano-Reina
D000293:Adolescent; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008312:Malocclusion, Angle Class II / Q000628:therapy*; D008437:Maxilla / Q000254:growth & development*; D017289:Orthodontic Appliances, Functional; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019291:Skull Base / Q000254:growth & development*