RCT comparing two approaches for managing protruding upper front teeth
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A randomised prospective controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of two methods for the management of Class II division I malocclusion
IRAS ID
174428
Contact name
Daljit Gill
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Duration of Study in the UK
6 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Upper incisor protrusion (termed Class II division I malocclusion) within children is a common orthodontic problem. From a health perspective, it may make the prominent upper incisors more susceptible to damage from traumatic injuries and can lead to bullying, name calling and low self-esteem. The common approach to treatment, in moderate to severe cases, is with removable ’functional’ braces for around 12 months full-time wear, to correct the protrusion, followed by fixed ’train track’ braces to straighten the teeth within the corrected bite which normally takes a further 18-24 months. The total treatment time can therefore be up to 3 years which places considerable burden on a child and family. There can also be severe cooperation problems in wearing a removable brace which affects the success of treatment. \n\nNewer braces, that are used widely, are available that may produce similar results to a removable functional brace but are fixed into the mouth, so the patient can not remove them and this improves cooperation with appliance wear. It is also possible to combine the ’train track’ brace element of treatment with these which may help to reduce the overall treatment time, and patient burden, as both the bite correction and straightening can progress at the same time. Fixed functional braces may also have less impact on speech during appliance wear which may improve patient satisfaction. There are no trials comparing the newer types of fixed functional braces with the pre-existing type.
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/0184
Date of REC Opinion
20 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion