The Effect of Orthopedic Face Mask Use on Head Posture and Pharyngeal Airway
Condition: Class III Malocclusion; Hyoid Bone
MeSH terms: Prognathism; Malocclusion; Malocclusion, Angle Class III
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in head posture, position of the hyoid
      bone, pharyngeal airway and cervical posture after the use of Petit type face mask in
      patients with skeletal class III malocclusion (ANB angle < 0) with ongoing growth.

      No other study was found in the literature in which head posture, cervical posture, and hyoid
      bone position were evaluated after the use of a face mask and compared with a control group
      consisting of patients of the same age group and the same malocclusion.
    

Detailed description: 
      All radiographic assessments, including cephalometric, pharyngeal airway and craniocervical
      measurements were performed by the same researcher and she was blind to all the treatment
      details, orthodontic records, and information of the subjects to prevent bias. Lateral
      cephalometric radiographs were taken digitally with an X-ray unit (OP300; Instrumentarium
      Dental, Tuusula, Finland) according to the manufacturer and same technician. Subjects were
      positioned at the natural head position, teeth in centric occlusion, and lightly closed lips
      for lateral cephalometric radiographs. Skeletal development of individuals was evaluated
      using cervical vertebra maturation method (Ref: Bacetti T., An Improved Version of the
      Cervical Vertebral Maturation (CVM) Method for the Assessment of Mandibular Growth. Angle
      Orthod.). The skeletal development of individuals was evaluated using the cervical vertebra
      maturation method and it was determined that all patients were in the prepubertal stage
      (CS1-CS3). (Ref: Cevidanes L., Comparison of two protocols for maxillary protraction: bone
      anchors versus face mask with rapid maxillary expansion. Angle Orthod.)
    

Intervention name(s): Skeletal Class III Malocclusion Treatment with Face Mask Group
Intervention type(s): Device
Intervention description(s): Expanding the maxilla, which is narrower than the mandible in the transverse dimension, using a rapid maxillary expansion device and protraction of the maxilla, which is located behind in the sagittal dimension, forward using the face-mask appliance.
Other intervention name(s): Maxillary expansion
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Head posture on lateral cephalometric radiographs taken before and after the application of the rapid maxillary expansion device with hooks to the upper dental arch and the Petit type face mask treatment applied after the skeletal class III patients due to maxillary retrognathia, whose growth development continues, for treatment to the Orthodontics Department of the Faculty of Dentistry, cervical posture, pharyngeal airway, and hyoid bone positions are determined.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Class III Malocclusion; Craniocervical Posture; Hyoid Bone Position; Pharyngeal Airway