Facial soft tissue changes after orthodontic treatment.

OBJECTIVES To successfully meet expectations on facial esthetics, it is important to understand normal craniofacial growth and the impact of orthodontic treatment thereon. To date, there have been few studies documenting changes in facial esthetics through photography. The objective of this study was to compare facial soft tissue esthetics before and after orthodontic treatment by means of photographic analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The 45 children were divided into 3 groups according to Angle's classification: Groups I, II, and III comprised children with class I, II, and III malocclusion, respectively. Photographs were analyzed with a software. Twenty-one soft tissue landmarks were identified on profile and frontal photographs, ratios and angles were calculated. RESULTS For group I, there was no difference between pre- and post-treatment facial analysis. For group II, there were significant changes in 5 values. The most significant changes were observed for A-N-B and Al-Me/Ch-Me. For group III, we noted significant changes for 5 values. The most significant change was observed for N-Pn-Pog. CONCLUSION There were significant changes in facial soft tissue esthetics after orthodontic treatment for class II and III cases. Changes in A-N-B and nose tip angle (N-Pn-Cm) were observed for class II and class III subjects.