Augmented corticotomy-assisted presurgical orthodontic treatment to prevent alveolar bone loss in patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion

Introduction: The objective of this study was to explore the effect of augmented corticotomy (AC) on anterior alveolar bone morphology in presurgical orthodontic treatment for skeletal Class III malocclusion. Methods: Thirty-six surgical patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion with high-angle were included: 18 (AC group) accepted AC surgery during presurgical orthodontic treatment, and 18 (control group) accepted traditional presurgical orthodontic treatment. Cone-beam computed tomography scans were obtained before treatment (T0) and after presurgical orthodontic treatment (T1). The alveolar bone morphology, root length, dehiscence, and movement of mandibular central incisors were measured by cone-beam computed tomography using Dolphin software. Statistical analyses were performed with independent-sample t tests, paired t tests, and multiple linear regression.Results: After presurgical orthodontic treatment, the whole alveolar bone thickness at each level, alveolar bone area, and alveolar bone height decreased significantly in the control group but increased or remained unchanged in the AC group. In the AC group, the lower the labial alveolar bone height at T0 was, the greater the increase after T1; the change in alveolar bone thickness was related to DL1-MP and sex. At T0, the incidences of dehiscence were similar in the 2 groups, ranging from 11.11% to 16.67%. At T1, the labial and lingual incidences of dehiscence in the AC group were 0% and 27.78%, compared with 55.56% and 66.67% in the control group.Conclusions: During presurgical orthodontic treatment, AC is effective in preventing alveolar bone resorption and dehiscence without additional root resorption. AC can be recommen-ded for high-angle skeletal Class III patients with thin alveolar bone around anterior teeth during presurgical orthodontic treatment. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2023;163:210-21)