Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Forum Ortodontyczne / Orthodontic Forum, cilt.21, sa.4, ss.185-192, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)
Abstract Removable orthodontic appliances are used for slow maxillary expansion in patients with the mixed dentition period. Aim. This study investigates changes in facial soft tissues resulting from slow expansion treatment using removable orthodontic appliances in the mixed dentition period, as assessed via two-dimensional frontal and profile extraoral photographs. Material and methods. This retrospective study involved 23 patients (12 females, 11 males, mean age 9.37±1.08 years) with unilateral or bilateral posterior crossbite in the mixed dentition. Patients were treated with removable orthodontic appliances. Soft tissue measurements were taken from two-dimensional extraoral profile and frontal photographs before and after treatment using AI-based cephalometric analysis software, WebCeph. Results. The treatment lasted an average of 9.87±1.65 months. A significant reduction was observed in the upper lip-lower lip ratio between the initial and post-treatment measurements. Regarding the nasal tip, a strong negative correlation was identified between the tip of the nose-soft tissue A-B line and the distances to both the upper and lower lip-Ricketts E lines. The angle between the Frankfort horizontal and the A-B line showed a moderate negative correlation with the upper lip-Ricketts E line distance and a strong negative correlation with the lower lip-Ricketts E line distance. Conclusions. While there was a notable decrease in the upper lip-lower lip ratio, the overall soft tissue changes were minimal following slow maxillary expansion with removable appliances. These results suggest that the procedure primarily affects skeletal alignment rather than soft tissue morphology.