Farklı vertikal yüz tiplerine sahip hastalarda tedavi sonrasındaki oklüzal temas yüzeylerinin değişimlerinin incelenmesi

The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the changes in posterior occlusal contact areas during the 1-year retention period in individuals with different vertical growth patterns. Within the scope of this study, 30 low angle and 30 high angle patients who received fixed orthodontic treatment without tooth extraction at Yeditepe University Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Orthodontics were enrolled in the study groups. The control group consisted of 30 individuals with normal growth pattern who did not receive orthodontic treatment. All the patients had maxillary and mandibular canine to canine bonded lingual retainers. After the treatment (T1), 6 months later (T2) and at the end of the 1-year retention period (T3), all patients were scanned with a three-dimensional intraoral laser scanner (Cerec, Omnicam). Occlusal contact areas were measured in mm2 using image analysis software (ImageJ) on digital models. Statistical analysis was performed. A statistically significant difference was observed between the initial mean occlusal contact area of the control, and low and high angle groups (p<0.001). The mean occlusal contact area of the control group at T1, T2, T3 was statistically significantly higher than the low angle and high angle groups (p<0.001). No statistically significant difference was observed between the mean occlusal contact area of the low angle and high angle groups at the time of T1 (p>0.05) whereas mean occlusal contact area of the low angle group was statistically significantly higher than the high angle group at T2 and T3 (p<0.001). The changes in the occlusal contact areas were significantly higher in low angle group compared to high angle group from T1 to T2 (p<0.001), with significantly greater changes in the first 6 months compared to the second 6 months of the retention period in both groups (p<0.001). As a conclusion, a significant occlusal settling occurred in the first year after orthodontic treatment but it differed between high and low angle patients. Low angle patients exhibited greater occlusal contact areas at each period and the increase in contact areas was higher compared to the high angle patients in the first 6 months.