Date of Award

Spring 1993

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Dentistry

First Advisor

Ferguson, Donald J.

Second Advisor

Keesler, Marissa L.

Third Advisor

Kittleson, Russell T.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare pre- and posttreatment lateral cephalometric and frontal and lateral photogrammetric parameters of patients treated with LeFort I osteotomies. The experimental sample consisted of eleven females and one male with ages ranging 13.5 to 33.0 and a sample mean age of 20.7 years. Subjects were not selected with regard to surgeon or surgical technique or classified according to maxillary movement. For nine of the subjects, the pre-treatment diagnosis was apertognathia. Photographic and cephalometric records were digitized for analysis. Eight inch by 10" photographs of subjects in a natural head posture with Frankfort Horizontal approximately level with the floor were normalized to allow for valid comparisons pre to posttreatment. The cephalometric analysis provided thirty-nine hard and soft tissue angles and distances and the photogrammetric analysis provided fifty-one soft tissue angles and distances for comparison. Results of paired t-tests demonstrated significant changes cephalometrically and photogrammetrically. No significant differences between changes in cephalometric measurements and changes in diagnostically similar photogrammetric measurements were observed with t-test comparisons, suggesting similar hard and soft tissue change. A key finding of the study was that no statistically significant movement of the anterior maxilla was demonstrated cephalometrically, but statistically significant alar and naris flaring still occurred. The study also found a significant closure pattern of the mandible reflected in numerous cephalometric and photogrammetric measurements, which is reasonable given the original vertical problems of 75% of the subjects. Upper vermillion lip height decreased significantly with treatment as a result of soft tissue manipulation and/or simply from the lips gaining competence. No clinically significant correlations could be drawn between hard and soft tissue movements.

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