Evaluation of the treatment efficacy of 2 different maxillary protraction protocols in patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion who were started on early or late treatment

Evaluation of the treatment efficacy of 2 different maxillary protraction protocols in patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion who were started on early or late treatment- Aim: The aim of this study is to retrospectively examine the efficacy of the Alt-RAMEC protocol and face mask use, as well as rapid maxillary expansion protocol and face mask use, in patients aged ≤12 years and > 12 years. Materials and Methods: The material of this retrospective study was composed of pre-treatment and post-treatment lateral cephalometric radiographs of a total of 80 subjects with skeletal Class III malocclusions, 20 males and 20 females, who were treated with rapid maxillary expansion and face mask, and 20 males and 20 females, who were treated with Alt-RAMEC method and face mask, from archive of Uşak University Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Orthodontics. By subtracting the pre-treatment values from the post-treatment values, the difference value indicating the treatment difference was obtained for each variable. An independent sample t-test was used to compare the differences of variables in rapid maxillary expansion and Alt-RAMEC groups, and the age groups of >12years and ≤12 years. Results: In patients aged 12 years and younger, the lower and upper airways in the Alt- RAMEC and face mask-treated group differed significantly more than in the rapid maxillary expansion and face mask-treated group. In patients over 12 years of age, U1-NA Perp (mm) and A-Na perp (mm) in the Alt- RAMEC and face mask-treated group differed significantly more than in the rapid maxillary expansion and face mask-treated group. Conclusions: As a result of this study, it was seen that the airway dilator effect of the Alt-RAMEC method gave better results, especially in patients who were started on early treatment. The Alt-RAMEC method was also found to be more effective in dental and skeletal correction of the maxilla in patients who were started on late treatment. Keywords: Alt RAMEC, Class III, face mask, RPE