COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FIXED VERSUS REMOVABLE ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCES IN CORRECTING ANTERIOR CROSSBITE IN MIXED DENTITION.

Abstract

Background: Anterior crossbite is a common malocclusion whose prevalence vary from country to country. It is around 6-8% in India. Aim & Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of fixed versus removable orthodontic appliances in correction of anterior crossbite in the mixed dentition. Material & Methods: A sample size of 75 subjects were selected on differential selective criteria with history of no previous orthodontic treatment, mixed dentition, anterior crossbite with moderate space discrepancy (< 3mm), non- extraction orthodontic mechanotherapy with ANB > 0°. A written consent was signed. Treatment with two parallel mode was designed, either with a removable appliance with springs or a fixed appliance with orthodontic brackets. To standardize the design for evaluation "Randomized Controlled Trials" (RCTs) were applied and parameters like rate of success, treatment duration, pre & post treatment differences in the overjet, overbite and arch length were accessed. Results: The treatment was successfully completed in all the patients by both the treatment modalities. Method Error Analysis (MEA) & Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) were used for statistical analysis. SPSS significantly showed the average treatment time by the fixed appliance was comparatively less (1.4 months, P < 0.05). Increase in arch length and overjet in both treatment modalities were recorded, but it was significantly higher in fixed mechanotherapy (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01). Conclusion: Both, fixed and removal orthodontic appliances can successfully treat anterior crossbite in mixed dentition with short- term orthodontic treatment.