Assessment of skeletal and dental changes by maxillary protraction.

To further evaluate the effect of maxillary protraction on facial growth, cephalometric changes in 129 subjects with conditions diagnosed as skeletal Class III malocclusion and who had been treated with maxillary protraction were compared to 9 male and 12 female subjects with annual cephalometric records from the Yonsei growth study sample. The control subjects had Angle Class I malocclusions with normal overjet and overbite. More maxillary forward displacement and mandibular growth inhibition were observed in the protraction group during treatment, and the difference from the untreated controls was statistically significant. When changes due to treatment according to ages were compared, there was no statistical difference. The direction of maxillary growth was similar in the untreated and protraction groups. Maxillary protraction had a growth-stimulating effect on the maxilla during the treatment period.