Class III dento-skeletal anomalies: rotational growth and treatment timing.

AIM: The interception of a Class III malocclusion requires a long-term growth prediction in order to estimate the subject's evolution from the prepubertal phase to adulthood. The aim of this retrospective longitudinal study was to highlight the differences in facial morphology in relation to the direction of mandibular growth in a sample of subjects with Class III skeletal anomalies divided on the basis of their Petrovic's auxological categories and rotational types. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 20 patients (11 females and 9 males) who started therapy before reaching their pubertal peak and were followed up for a mean of 4.3 years (range: 3.9-5.5 years). RESULTS: Despite the small sample size, the definition of the rotational type of growth was the main diagnostic element for setting the correct individualised therapy. CONCLUSION: We therefore believe that the observation of a larger sample would reinforce the diagnostic-therapeutic validity of Petrovic's auxological categories, allow an evaluation off all rotational types, and improve the statistical significance of the results obtained.