| Introduction: Treatment of anterior open bite (AOB) is still debated and considered to be an orthodontic challenge, not only in the sense of treatment, but also in retention. The objective of the present study was to compare conventional orthodontics to InvisalignRTM treatment in non-extraction closure of AOBs. Subjects and Methods: Pre- and post-treatment cephalograms of ¬¬¬57 subjects, 30 treated with InvisalignRTM, 27 treated with conventional orthodontics. The sample was obtained from Saint Louis University Center for Advanced Dental Education as well as private practices. All conventional subjects had a Class I malocclusion, where InvisalignRTM treatment consisted of Class I and Class II, both with clinical anterior open bites. Pre- and post-treatment measurements from traced cephalograms were compared to evaluate bite closure. Results: A statistically significant difference was found for upper and lower incisors when post-treatment was compared to pre-treatment for both treatment modalities. Conventional treatment results: U1-SN(o): -8.21+/-20.13, U1-PP(mm): 2.43+/-2.34, L1-MP(o): -4.61+/-7.31, L1-MP(mm)0.87+/-2.08. InvisalignRTM treatment results: U1-SN(o):-4.75+/-5.03, U1-PP(mm): 1.32+/-2.03, L1-MP(o): -4.04+/-3.73, L1-MP(mm): 1.14+/-1.26. No statistically significant differences were found pertaining to upper or lower molars. Conclusions: Both conventional and InvisalignRTM treatment modalities are clinically acceptable for non-extraction closure of anterior open bites. This study concluded that bite closure was mainly accomplished by retraction and extrusion of the anterior dentition, as opposed to intrusion of the posterior dentition in both study groups. |
