The effect of force on craniofacial development

Abstract

C orrection of Class 11 malocclusion in the mixed dentition usually involves an attempt to improve the dental relationship between the maxilla and the mandible. In addition to dentoalveolar changes following orthodontic treatment,‘, a favorable improvement in the skeletal anteroposterior relationship between the jaws has been reported in several instances.3-1” In an earlier report on patients treated with cervical traction, the data indicated a compound effect of treatment on the facial skeleton.6 The effect involved the concurrent development of the craniofacial complex with changes in direction of growth of the maxilla and, furthermore, an influence upon surrounding anatomic structures with a possible rotation of the pterygoid plates and the base of the sphenoitl bone. Subsequent verification of some of these findings has been published.!’ Several investigations on Mncncn wulatta give biologic validity to the remodeling activity found in the dentofacial skeleton as a result of experimental use of cervical traction. A marked effect upon the maxilla has been documented histologically and radiographically. Compression or stretching of maxillary sutures resulted in remodeling changes of large magnitude, and the force applied was also transmitted to adjacent bones with increased sutural activity.*6-22 The influence of treatment upon human growth has been considered to be of small magnitude in comparison to obvious drntoalveolar changes observed. In a previous study on the effect of headgear therapy, the assumed rotation of the body of the sphenoid bone that was used as registration for superimposition of tracings of cephalomctric films before and after treatment may have influenced the magnitude of growth changes reported.” The purpose of this inr-estigation was to study the effect of force upon basal maxillary structures ant1 adjacent facial junctions on treatetl patients in more detail.