Orthopedic Effect of Chin Cup during Mixed Dentition Stage.

INTRODUCTION Chin cup (CC) therapy has been used as the traditional appliance for treating class III malocclusion during mixed dentition period. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of CC on the improvement of skeletal and dentoalveo-lar skeletal changes in class III patients during mixed dentition stage. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 30 patients (7-9 years old) with skeletal class III malocclusion were selected based on clinical and cephalometric examination. Out of 30 patients, 20 underwent CC therapy. All orthodontic records and measurements were taken before and after treatment. Similar records were collected from the control group. The lateral cephalometric films were traced before and after treatment and analyzed. RESULTS There was a significant improvement in maxillary and the mandibular skeletal measurements after CC therapy. Improvement of ANB angle and an increase in Wits appraisal have been detected in the treated group according to intermaxillary skeletal variables. CONCLUSION The study concluded that the CC therapy is effective for correcting skeletal class III malocclusion along with positive changes in the dentoskeletal variables during the mixed dentition stage.