Comparison of rate of canine retraction into recent extraction site with and without gingival fiberotomy: a clinical study.

AIM: Retraction of maxillary canines after first premolar extractions is a very common orthodontic task in cases of crowding or for the correction of large overjet. Many studies have been done to increase the rate of retraction. The aim is to compare the rate of canine retraction into recent extraction site with and without circumferential supracrestal fiberotomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The rate of movement of the canines into the recent extraction site of the first premolar with or without circumferential supracrestal fiberotomy was measured in 14 patients aged 13 to 22 years. The study was done on 9 maxillary and 5 mandibular arches. The appliance used in the present study was the preadjusted edgewise (0.022 inch Roth prescription) and retraction performed by frictionless mechanics using Composite T Loop. The distalization of canines was measured at regular intervals (T1, T2, T3 and T4). Recordings of the positions of the canines at the beginning and at different intervals were made from dental casts. RESULTS: The mean difference between the two sides for the total time span T1-T4, for maxillary arch was 0.36 mm and for mandibular arch was 0.60 mm respectively. CONCLUSION: There can be various factors that affect the rate of tooth movement. Factors like bone density, bone metabolism, and turnover in the periodontal ligament, amount of force applied may be responsible for the variation. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: No clinically significant increased rate of retraction of cuspids in the recent extraction site with fiberotomy was found in comparison to the retraction in recent extraction site without fiberotomy.

A preliminary assessment of cephalometric orthodontic superimposition.

The superimposition of cephalograms is a valuable tool in orthodontics. In children this task is complicated by the fact that growth changes in the reference structures used in superimposition should be taken into consideration. In this study a new method of superimposition of cephalograms taken in the natural head position (NHP) was compared with Viazis' cranial base triangle and a reference grid was used to quantitatively assess the changes in the five selected landmarks. The material consisted of 12 pairs of cephalograms of growing subjects (mean age 11.1 years) collected with a time interval of 1 year. The results revealed no significant statistical difference between the two methods and both showed high reproducibility. Both analyses were found to be suitable for individual assessment, but the new method involving the use of NHP and easy landmark identification can be considered as a useful addition.