Treatment effects of a modified palatal anchorage plate for distalization evaluated with cone-beam computed tomography

IntroductionThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment effects of maxillary posterior tooth distalization performed by a modified palatal anchorage plate appliance with cephalograms derived from cone-beam computed tomography.MethodsThe sample consisted of 40 lateral cephalograms obtained from the cone-beam computed tomography images of 20 Class II patients (7 men, 13 women; average age, 22.9 years) who underwent bilateral distalization of their maxillary dentition. The lateral cephalograms were derived from the cone-beam computed tomography images taken immediately before placement of a modified palatal anchorage plate appliance and at the end of distalization. Paired t tests were used for comparisons of the changes.ResultsThe distal movement of the maxillary first molar was 3.3 ± 1.8 mm, with distal tipping of 3.4° ± 5.8° and intrusion of 1.8 ± 1.4 mm. Moreover, the maxillary incisors moved 3.0 ± 2.7 mm lingually, with lingual tipping of 6.2° ± 7.6° and insignificant extrusion (1.1 mm; P = 0.06). The occlusal plane angle was increased significantly (P = 0.0001).ConclusionsThe maxillary first molar was distalized by 3.3 mm at the crown and 2.2 mm at root levels, with distal tipping of 3.4°. It is recommended that clinicians should consider using the modified palatal anchorage plate appliance in treatment planning for patients who require maxillary total arch distalization.