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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Dent. Med.
Sec. Aging and Dental Medicine
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fdmed.2025.1584088
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The aim of the present prospective study was to assess the soft tissue modifications induced by camouflage treatment with clear aligners in adult patients with mild Class III malocclusion. Patients were consecutively enrolled in the study sample according to the following inclusion criteria: adult age (≥19 years); permanent dentition including second permanent molars; skeletal Class I or slight Class III (-2° < ANB < +2°); normal skeletal divergency pattern (SN^GoGn, 27°-37°); Class III canine and molar relationship at baseline (T0), moderate lower arch crowding (≤ +4 mm); good compliance with aligners and elastics (≥ 20 hours/day). All subjects underwent the Lower Distalization Protocol, which included extraction of the lower third molars before starting treatment and a 50% sequential lower distalization, and Class III intermaxillary elastics (1/4 in., 6.5 oz) from buttons on upper first molars to precision cuts at the level of lower canines to reinforce the anchorage. Lateral cephalograms were taken at T0 (before treatment) and at the end of the clear aligner treatment (T1) with an average time interval of about 24 +/-6 months. A customized digitization regimen and cephalometric analysis was created to assess the aesthetic outcomes at T1. The significance level was set at P <0.05. The lower distalization supported by Class III elastics determined slight improvement of the facial aesthetic profile with no significant changes in the lower third of the face. A mild better projection of the upper lip was detected at the end of treatment, mainly due to the extensive use of Class III elastics.
Keywords: soft tissue, Class III, Clear aligners, Non-growing patient, Cephalometric analyses
Received: 26 Feb 2025; Accepted: 31 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lione, Pavoni, Gazzani, De razza, Lugli and Cozza. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Letizia Lugli, Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences, Rome, Italy
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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