Long-term follow-up of a patient diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome who underwent Le Fort I and III distraction osteogenesis using a rigid external distractor system.

OBJECTIVE: This case report describes the successful treatment of a patient with Crouzon syndrome with severe midfacial deficiency and malocclusion, including reverse overjet. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In Phase I treatment, maxillary lateral expansion and protraction were performed. In Phase II treatment, after lateral expansion of the maxilla and leveling of the maxillary and mandibular dentition, an orthognathic approach including simultaneous Le Fort I and III osteotomies with distraction osteogenesis (DO) was used to improve the midfacial deficiency. RESULTS: After DO, 12.0 mm of the medial maxillary buttress and 9.0 mm of maxillary (point A) advancement were achieved, which resulted in a favorable facial profile and stable occlusion. CONCLUSION: Even after 8 years of retention, the patient's profile and occlusion were preserved without any significant relapse.

The Elimination of Dental Crowding and Development of a Proper Dental Arch by Maxillary Anterior Segmental Distraction Osteogenesis for a Patient With UCLP.

OBJECTIVE: This report describes the case of a male patient with a complete unilateral cleft lip and palate who presented with midface deficiency and an anteroposteriorly constricted maxilla. DESIGN: Case report Interventions: Correction involved anterior distraction of the segmented maxilla. RESULTS: The present case demonstrates that elongation of the maxilla with anterior distraction is an effective way to develop a proper dental arch, correct anterior and posterior crowding, and improve a midface deficiency.

Maxillary Anterior Segmental Distraction Osteogenesis to Correct Maxillary Deficiencies in a Patient With Cleft Lip and Palate.

This report describes a case of successful orthodontic treatment using maxillary anterior segmental distraction osteogenesis with an internal maxillary distractor and bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy in a girl with cleft lip and palate. A 16-year-old girl with unilateral cleft lip and palate exhibited midface retrusion because of growth inhibition of the maxillary complex and mandibular excess. After the presurgical orthodontic treatment, 6.0-mm advancement of the maxillary anterior segment and 4.0-mm set back of the mandible were performed. After a retention period, the patient's midface convexity was greatly improved and the velopharyngeal competence was preserved without relapse.

Treatment of adult Class II division 2 patient with metal hypersensitivity.

This case report describes the orthodontic treatment of an adult female with an Angle Class II division 2 malocclusion with a severe deep bite and a congenitally missing lower incisor. The use of available orthodontic devices and materials was limited because the patient had metal allergies. Following a careful examination and case analysis, the preadjusted edgewise appliances and the microscrew implants were placed after the upper first premolars were extracted. After active treatment, a good facial profile and occlusion were achieved. These results have been maintained for 2 years following completion of the active treatment.

Rotational movement of the anterior maxillary segment by hybrid distractor in patients with cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: Maxillary anterior segmental distraction osteogenesis (MASDO) is an effective surgical orthodontic treatment for the retruded maxilla in cleft lip and palate because of its benefit of the conservation of velopharyngeal function. Some reports showed MASDO using various devices, but they do not allow the rotational movement of the distracted anterior segment. In this article, we showed MASDO using hybrid distracters (DynaForm System: Stryker Osteosymthesis, Leibinger Micro Implants, Kalamazoo, MI), which allow the advance of the distracted segment with rotational movement. METHOD: The hybrid distractor with 4 metal arms is secured beyond both alveolar osteotomy lines on each side. These 2 distractors permit rotational movement of the segment by controlling the amount of advancement on each side. RESULTS: For 6 patients with cleft lip and palate, MASDO using hybrid distractors was performed and the anterior segment moved at planned positions without any complications except lip discomfort, which disappeared after removal of the distractor. CONCLUSION: MASDO, using an institutionally diagnosed hybrid distractor can successfully achieve the necessary rotational movements of the anterior maxillary segment owing to its design, which incorporates some mechanical flexibility.

Laterality of asymmetry in movements of the corners of the mouth during voluntary smile.

OBJECTIVES: To examine (1) the laterality of asymmetry in movements of the right and left corners of the mouth in space during voluntary smile and (2) the laterality of asymmetry in relation to the difference between the right and left hemiface size and the handedness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants were 155 volunteer Japanese female adults. They were categorized into the symmetric group (n = 120) and the right-side hemiface dominant group (n = 26) according to the hemiface size. In addition, the symmetric group was categorized into the right-handed group (n = 98) and the left-handed group (n = 22) according to the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. Position vectors of the right and left corners of the mouth were obtained from the three-dimensional facial images for the rest, the maximal lip corner retraction, and the portrait smile. The displacements of the right and left corners of the mouth for each expression and the proportions of the subjects with the right- and left-sided laterality were compared. RESULTS: The left corner of the mouth showed significantly greater displacement (P < .01) than the right in the symmetric group for the portrait smile. The left-sided laterality was found regardless of the handedness. CONCLUSIONS: Displacements of the right and left corners of the mouth during voluntary smile were asymmetric, and the left-sided laterality was found. Also, the laterality of the facedness differed in relation to the hemiface size, but was not related to the handedness.

Asymmetry of the face in orthodontic patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the laterality of the normal asymmetry of the human face, examining differences in laterality in relation to sex, growth stage, and skeletal classification. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1800 Japanese subjects (651 males and 1149 females; mean age, 15 years 3 months; range, 4 years 2 months to 59 years 11 months) were selected. Individuals in the sample were categorized according to sex, one of three growth stages, and one of three skeletal patterns. Differences in length between distances from the points at which ear rods were inserted to the facial midline and the perpendicular distance from the soft-tissue menton to the facial midline were measured on a frontal facial photograph. Subjects with a discrepancy of more than 3 standard deviations of the measurement error were categorized as having left- or right-sided laterality. RESULTS: Of subjects with facial asymmetry, 79.7% had a wider right hemiface, and 79.3% of those with chin deviation had left-sided laterality. These tendencies were independent of sex, age, or skeletal jaw relationships. In this regard, during pubertal growth, the proportion of subjects with wider right hemiface decreased (P < .0001), whereas the proportion of those with a wider left hemiface increased (P < .01), despite a consistent tendency for right-sided dominance. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that laterality in the normal asymmetry of the face, which is consistently found in humans, is likely to be a hereditary rather than an acquired trait.

Conventional bone-anchored palatal distractor using an orthodontic palatal expander for the transverse maxillary distraction osteogenesis: technical note.

OBJECTIVE: Surgical-assisted rapid palatal expansion includes various treatment procedures for solving transverse maxillary deficiencies, especially in cases with a matured palatal suture. Recent introduction of the concept of distraction osteogenesis has contributed to generalize this useful treatment and to develop some bone-borne devices that will not cause the problems found in cases treated by tooth-supported palatal expander. This report shows a conventional bone-borne distractor using commercially available orthodontic palatal expansion screws. METHOD: The distractor consists of 2 parts: one is a commercially available orthodontic palatal expansion screw (Hyrax type, Fan style) and another is a screw-ring, which is one of the attached parts of the mandibular distraction system. The bone screws are inserted transmucosally to the palatal bone via the screw-rings. RESULT: The palatal distractor can be applied to varied palatal shapes and can expand the palate without any trouble. CONCLUSION: This conventional palatal distractor may contribute to generalize the transpalatal maxillary distraction osteogenesis for cases with maxillary teeth problems.

Facial asymmetry in subjects with skeletal Class III deformity.

We investigated the frequency, site, amount, and direction of facial asymmetry in human adults with mandibular prognathism and examined if these characteristics were associated postnatally with cardinal clinical signs that may indicate a predisposition to facial asymmetry. Two hundred twenty young Japanese adults (69 men and 151 women) who exhibited skeletal Class III malocclusions were selected. The sample was divided into a Postnatal Factor Group and a Nonpostnatal Factor Group. The former group included those who had: (1) received orthodontic treatment using a chin cap; (2) exhibited clinical symptoms of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder; (3) reported a history of maxillofacial trauma; or (4) radiographic abnormality of the condyles. Subjects with a deviation of more than 2 mm from the facial midline associated with any of the 4 landmarks (ANS, U1, L1 and Me) were classified as asymmetric and the asymmetry was measured on a postero-anterior (P-A) cephalogram. Radiographic facial asymmetry was found frequently (70%-85%, for Menton), and most obviously in the lower jaw (P < .05). Lateral displacement toward the left side of the face occurred more often than right-sided deviation (P < .001, for Menton). However, the Postnatal Factor Group showed a higher proportion of subjects with lateral deviation toward the right side (P = .0031) and a greater amount (P < .0001) of chin deviation. This was due to the fact that the subjects having TMJ problems as a postnatal factor showed no directional uniqueness in jaw deviation and exhibited a longer distance of deviation.