The effect of continuous bite-jumping in adult rats: a morphological study.

The aim of this study was to determine the mandibular morphology before, during, and after bite-jumping in nongrowing species. Fifty-two adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four experimental groups and four control groups. The experimental groups were fitted with fixed bite-jumping devices that protruded the mandible. The animals were sacrificed on days 3, 14, 30, and 60. Right halves of the mandible were harvested and freed of soft tissue. Digital pictures were obtained in a standardized manner. Selected linear and angular measurements were made. There were no morphological differences between the controls and experimental group on days 3 and 14. The length of condylar process increased significantly on day 30 and remained so on day 60 in the experimental group. The angulation of the condylar process was significantly affected because of increased apposition of bone in the middle and especially the posterior parts of the condyle. Thus, bite-jumping of the mandible in adult rats affects the size and angulation of the condylar process because of differential apposition of bone on the condylar head.

Stepwise advancement versus maximum jumping with headgear activator.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of stepwise mandibular advancement versus maximum jumping and extended treatment versus early retention. The material was obtained prospectively and consisted of lateral cephalograms taken at the start (T0), after initial (T1), and at the end (T2) of treatment, from two groups of consecutively treated skeletal Class II patients who had undergone therapy with headgear activators. The first headgear activator group, HGA-S (n=24; mean age 11.9 +/- 1.2 years), was treated for 13 months and had 4-mm mandibular advancement every 3 months. The second headgear activator group, HGA-M (n=31; mean age 11.2 +/- 1.5 years), had maximum jumping, 6-8 mm interincisal opening, for a total of 15.4 months, and with reduced wear for the last 6.9 months. The dropout over 12 months was 41 and 46 per cent, respectively. Pre-treatment growth changes were obtained as a reference. An independent t-test was used to determine differences in baseline dentofacial morphology between the groups, a paired t-test for intra-group comparisons, and an independent t-test to evaluate differences between the groups. The results, in both groups, showed enhanced mandibular prognathism during the initial phase (T0-T1), followed by normal growth (T1-T2), and lower face height enhancement throughout treatment (T0-T2). For both groups, the mandibular plane and occlusal angle increased, possibly enhanced by 'extrusion' of the lower molars. For both groups, maxillary forward growth was restrained only during the initial phase, but the effect remained significant at T2 for the HGA-S group. In the HGA-M group, the lower incisors were protruded, while in the HGA-S group, they were unaffected. The findings indicate that both modes of mandibular jumping resulted in skeletal and dental effects. The length of active treatment seemed to be decisive in maintaining the treatment effects; stepwise advancement had less dental effects.