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DOI: 10.

1051/odfen/2016051 J Dentofacial Anom Orthod 2017;20:207


© The authors

Interception of Class-III malocclusions


Y. Soyer
Qualified Specialist in DFO, former Assistant Hospital-University, Hospital Practitioner,
Hôpital Pitie-Salpêtrière Paris, Expert for the Court of Appeal of Paris

SUMMARY
Class-III malocclusions are characterized by an excessively anterior position of the mandible in relation
to the maxilla and present a wide variety of clinical forms accompanied by esthetic prejudice.
The purpose of interceptive therapy is to restore normal oro-facial functions to limit the need for or-
thognathic surgery.
The early implementation of treatment is the key to success.

KEY WORDS
Class-III malocclusion, early treatment, orthopedic treatment, missed opportunity

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
When I met Mrs. Henriette Muller for the review published in January 1970, which would
first time in May 1983, she quickly confided be followed in April and July of the same year
to me her interest in the tongue’s role in by several articles on therapeutic possibilities
Class-III anomalies. as well as the surgical treatments of Class-III
But we could easily get distracted dis- malocclusions, laid the groundwork for a dia-
cussing the spirit and vivacity of this great log that Henriette Muller would continue in the
lady of orthodontics. third issue with Jean Delaire dealing with man-
Retrospectively, before the Revue d’ODF dibular prognathism6.
(DFO Journal) published several articles on The Revue d’ODF would then regularly pub-
Class-III malocclusions in 1970, Henriette Mul- lish articles on the subject of interception and
ler (Madame Louis Muller) found that there was early treatment of Class-III malocclusions, and
a scarce amount of literature on the subject. a whole issue would be fully devoted to it in
This disenchantment was, for her, the fruit of 2003. Educated in “Functional Orthodontics”
failures on the part of the orthodontists consid- by André Salvadori24, it was under his tutelage
ering this anomaly was the unfortunate source that we published articles on interception in
of many inevitable relapses. The issue of this 1987 for the 20th Anniversary of the Revue25.

Address for correspondence:


Yves Soyer
170 Avenue de la République – 91230 Montgeron Article received: 12-10-2016.
E-mail: yves.soyer@orange.fr Accepted for publication: 02-12-2016.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0),
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly cited. 1

Article available at https://www.jdao-journal.org or https://doi.org/10.1051/odfen/2016051


Y. SOYER

CLINICAL SEMIOLOGY
Class-III malocclusions are anoma- Binder syndrome, labioalveolar palatal
lies where the mandible occupies a clefts, achondroplasia, craniofacial ste-
position that is significantly anterior in nosis, Down’s syndrome, acromegaly,
relation to the maxilla. These malocclu- or Pierre Marie’s syndrome. The prog-
sions comprise all cases of maxillary nosis of these cases does not allow
retrognathism and cases of mandibular for the consideration of orthopedic or
prognathism. interceptive treatments.
If the skeletal and occlusal Class-III
malocclusions are most often associat- Class-III malocclusions of kinetic
ed, Class-III occlusal relationships can origin
be encountered on a Class-I skeletal
pattern and conversely a dental Class I Mandibular protrusion or “mandibular
on a Class-III skeletal pattern. pseudoprognathism” or “mandibular
Historically, Angle (1907) character- anteposition” or “anti-mandibular” is
ized Class III as “mesial occlusion of functional in origin, without any ana-
the lower jaw and arch, as indicated by tomical bone deformation.
the occlusion of the first mandibular Clinical signs are the same as mor-
molars at the time of their eruption.” phological prognathism. However, in the
This definition assigns responsibility functional examination, a deviation from
for malocclusions to the lower jawbone the posteroanterior closing path can be
and implies, on the one hand, the fixity observed. This positional anomaly of the
of the upper jawbone as a skeletal and mandible is characterized by mandibular
dental reference base and on the other recoil and the restoration of the condyle
hand, the consistency of the anomalies at the bottom of the glenoid cavity, dur-
at the mandibular level, whether at the ing the De Névrezé maneuver. This an-
dental and/or mandibular body level. terior position does not occur in skeletal
Therefore, the terms Class-III maloc- Class-III malocclusions, but some struc-
clusion and mandibular prognathism tural Class-III malocclusions may be as-
were (and still are) often used inter- sociated with sliding3.
changeably5.
Class-III malocclusions have many Structural Class-III malocclusions
different clinical forms that influence
their treatment. Delaire and Salagnac7 have individual-
ized the different clinical varieties well.
Class-III malocclusions related to
malformative syndrome Maxillary Class-III malocclusions:
“Maxillary insufficiency”
The cranial or facial involvement of Fifty percent of Class-III malocclu-
different major syndromes lead to the sions are caused by maxillary insuffi-
development of a severe skeletal Class- ciency that results from one or more of
III malocclusions: Crouzon syndrome, the following five parameters:

2 Soyer Y. Interception of Class-III malocclusions


Interception of Class-III malocclusions

many of these five parameters can, of


course, exist together21 (Fig. 1).

Mandibular Class-III malocclusions:


“Mandibular excesses”
The mandibular involvement may be
global or concern only one or more re-
gions. It is possible to differentiate the
most frequent clinical entities: dolicho-
ramia, dolichocorpia, macro-mandibulia,
dolichocondyly, lower proalveolia, pro-
mandibulia, progeny, opening of the man-
dibular angle, with or without symphysial
excess, and the mandible being too ante-
rior in relation to the skull. Orthopedic or
Figure 1
interceptive22 treatment has a bad prog-
© Salagnac JM21. The parameters
that can cause maxillary insufficiency. nosis in these last three varieties.
Jean Delaire summarizes his classifi-
– Maxillary orientation that is too pos- cation established in 1996 and was al-
terior in relation to the reference to ways authoritative in the interview he
the cranial base: retrodisplaced max- gave on mandibular prognathism syn-
illa (Fig. 1 /1); drome6.
– Lack of maxillary height (Fig. 1 /2); His multicenter study of 261 Class-III
– Lack of length of the palatal base: low cases collected exclusively in private
brachymaxillia (Fig. 1 /4) or prebrachy- practice to avoid including too many
maxilla (Fig. 1 /3); “particular” subjects, on subjects aged
The combination of these three param- 2.5–27 years and of which 45 were
eters is a “micromaxillary deformity.” aged <7 years and 16 cases were aged
– removal of the alveolar arches: retro- >13 years, it was noted that the propor-
alveolia (Fig. 1 /5); tion of promandibulia increased consid-
– Dental: Abnormalities in the number erably with age (40% in children aged
of teeth: dental agenesis and poor <7 years and 87.50% in subjects aged
dental position, in particular of the up- >14 years).
per incisors (Fig. 1 /6). It is, therefore, necessary to consider
These different clinical entities re- treating Class-III malocclusions as soon
quire specific therapeutic protocols and as possible.

ETIOPATHOGENESIS
The prognosis and the treatment of tant as the clinical forms are varied.
Class-III malocclusions and the stability “The causes are too intertwined to be
of results depend on the etiopathogenic classified in a strictly chronological or
diagnosis, which is all the more impor- primordial order.”14

J Dentofacial Anom Orthod 2017;20:207 3


Y. SOYER

Hereditary Causes malocclusions because of its rather


increased volume, its low and anterior
Skeletal Class-III disorders, and espe- position, its tonicity and its functional
cially cases of mandibular prognathism, behavior. Indeed, when swallowing
are dysmorphisms whose hereditary and speaking, the dysfunctional lingual
character has been widely demonstrated. behavior will have a double morphoge-
Victor Galippe in 1905, Oswald Rub- netic consequence.
brecht20 in 1929, and Jacobson12 in On the lip level, the inverted interin-
1974, have made remarkable studies cisal ratio leads to labiomentonary hy-
on the mandibular prognathism of the peractivity at rest, especially marked at
Habsburgs where, out of 40 members, the lower orbicular level in mandibular
there were 33 cases of prognathism. prognathism3.
In the course of their clinical examina-
tion, the practitioner will focus on finding Dysfunctional environment
the malformation in the patient’s family, Mouth breathing plays a major etio-
which will allow them to ascertain the logical role in Class-III cases by impos-
prognosis. In fact, this finding alone can ing a low and often anterior tongue
help in assessing the prognosis. position in cases of associated tonsillar
hypertrophy.
Hormonal Causes With regard to the other functions
such as chewing, swallowing, pho-
Hyperfunction of the pituitary gland nation, one must be well aware that
may cause gigantism during growth and there is a veritable “vicious spiral of
eosinophilic adenoma of the sella turcica malfunctions” which originates from
can lead to acromegaly in adults16. mouth breathing causing abnormalities
of posture and altering all the functions
Muscular and functional environ- of the cephalic extremity. This favors
ment Labiolingual muscular envi- facial sagittal development in Class-III
ronment patients26.

The tongue plays a very important


role in the development of Class-III

INTERCEPTION
Interception is a simple therapeutic prevent the emergence of a dysmor-
intervention, more often in the early phism.
stages, that will allow for partial or to- Interception treatments occur when
tal correction of the dysmorphism or the malocclusion is already present, at
prevent it from getting worse. It there- a more or less advanced stage, while
fore differs from prevention or proph- prevention occurs before the dysmor-
ylaxis, which are the means used to phism occurs23.

4 Soyer Y. Interception of Class-III malocclusions


Interception of Class-III malocclusions

In the face of Class-III dysmorphisms, The use of a nocturnal lingual enve-


there is some consensus as to when lope or functional Class-III plate will
to implement a treatment that corrects promote lingual repositioning and inci-
the pathology. sor overlap.
The interceptive therapy of Class-III Of course, any parafunction (onychop-
malocclusions is part of a growth pat- hagy, behavioral attitude, and sucking)
tern and will be introduced as soon as favoring the establishment of a Class-
possible in simple cases. III malocclusion will be eliminated.
The therapeutic intervention is there-
fore precocious to restore the incisor Orthopedic Therapy
recovery as soon as possible and to
standardize the functions so as to The therapeutic objective is to stim-
steer and normalize the subsequent ulate the growth of the upper maxilla
growth. and to redirect or inhibit the growth of
The aim is to restore, as soon as pos- the mandible.
sible, the form and function so as to
re-establish good maxillofacial relations Occipital Chin Sling
and a good orientation of the maxilla in It is used with very young children in
relation to the cranial base by allowing cases of mandibular prognathism with
a good balance and development of na- no apparent maxillary deficiency. This
sal ventilation13. device will promote the closure of the
gonial angle and the slowing of man-
Correction of mandibular shifting dibular growth. It is up to the parents
to insist on its importance because it is
Its correction is indispensable to them who, doubting its effectiveness,
avoid the evolution of skeletal Class- do not always promote wearing it se-
III malocclusions. It will be appropriate riously.
to remove any occlusal interference by
grinding the cusps of temporary ca- Anterior-Posterior Extraoral Forces
nines. A transverse expansion can be They can be applied to the mandible:
associated with a Class-III activator. braces are placed on permanent molars
or on temporary second molars. Cha-
Correction of neuromuscular bre and Canal4 have thus demonstrat-
behavior ed the decline of the lower molar on
its base and the correction of the molar
From an early age, it is appropriate Class-III ratios, as well as a tendency to
to re-establish normal orofacial func- correct Class-III ratios of the bases (of
tional behaviors so as to normalize course, they remain contraindicated in
the position (low and anterior) and lin- terms of vertical growth.)
gual functions by performing a lingual
frenectomy with kinesthetic re-educa- Posterior-Anterior tractions on the
tion, by reestablishing nasal ventila- maxilla: Delaire face mask
tion and freeing the airways with an Developed by Delaire and Verdon,
adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy if it is a simple method that has revo-
necessary. lutionized the treatment of Class-III

J Dentofacial Anom Orthod 2017;20:207 5


Y. SOYER

­ alocclusions caused by maxillary in-


m • Profile:
sufficiency. The period of temporary – Improved facial esthetics through im-
teeth, i.e., age 4–12 years, remains the proved interlabial relationships;
most favorable period. – A progressive filling of the nasolabial
The harmony of bone bases is im- hollows and the sub-orbital areas.
proved rapidly as well as incisor recov- The treatment is in fact a compen-
ery to enable the restoration of a more satory treatment: while stopping the
balanced growth. growth of the mandible, one advances
With the support of the frontal and orthopedically the maxilla, taking care
chin regions, the mask exerts impor- to physiologically orient the occlusion
tant tractions on the upper dental arch. plan19.
From an intraoral anchorage (double
rigid arch sealed on the upper molars), Activators
posteroanterior tractions are exerted These intraoral device modify inter-
through elastics. arch relationships to decrease skele-
These pulls can be increased gradu- tal lag and normalize occlusal relation-
ally from 200 g for a young child. De- ships, especially at the anterior level to
pending on the age of the patient, the harmonize subsequent maxillary and
importance of the desired component mandibular growth.
and the speed of the desired correc- Construction wax is applied while the
tion, it is possible to exercise traction mandible is in the most retrusive posi-
of 1500 g. tion and it increases the vertical dimen-
Verdon and Salganac21 have observed sion of the mandible.
exceptional opportunities for action: The activator consists of a resin mon-
• Maxillary: obloc with an important lateral resin
– A change in the maxillary orientation interposition to deprogram the tempo-
in relation to the cranial base; romandibular joints and allow progres-
– an increase in the length of the maxil- sive grinding from rear to front to move
lary base ([NA-[NP); the mandible backward to a position of
– An increase in the distal distance of comfort respecting the minimum verti-
the last molar to the maxillary tuber- cal dimension of occlusion. Occlusal el-
osity. evation contributes to distal mandibular
• Mandibular: repositioning.
– A slight lowering and retraction An Eschler arc is positioned to main-
of the mandible with sometimes tain the mandible in the most retrusive
increase anterior facial height: position and to maintain the orientation
[NA-Chin.] of the lower incisors by avoiding a lin-
• Dental: guoversion.
– a constantly favorable change in the By muscular play, the mandible tends
orientation of the upper incisors in re- to move forward previously repulsing
lation to the premaxillary; the activator, which thus transmits a
– Improved dental relationships and the posteroanterior and transverse stimu-
orientation of the occlusion plan. lation to the maxilla.

6 Soyer Y. Interception of Class-III malocclusions


Interception of Class-III malocclusions

The Class-III activator thus makes it


possible to observe13:
– Muscular deprogramming;
– A correction of the forward shift;
– A centered adjustment;
– Stimulation of maxillary growth and
a mesial slippage of the maxillary
arch;
– A slowing of mandibular growth and a
distal slippage of the mandibular arch;
– Closure of the gonial angle;
– Verticalization of the growth direction.

Class-III intermaxillary traction on Figure 2


© De Clerck H11.
microplates
De Clerck’s bone-anchored maxillary
protraction (BAMP) protocol, devel- The weakening of the pterygomax-
oped in the growth phase, proposes illary suture would increase the per-
the use of Class-III intermaxillary trac- formance of the zygomatic maxillary
tion on microplates with temporary suture with reciprocal action. The ad-
anchors, allowing orthopedic maxillary vance in mass of the zygomatic max-
protraction to avoid the dentoalveo- illary complex would be similar to that
lar extraneous effects when the trac- obtained with LeFort III surgery.
tion devices are applied to the dental This is all the more interesting as
­arches. patients with Class-III dysmorphisms
This new paradigm allows the treat- present for the most part, aplasia of the
ment of borderline cases by intercep- entire skull base9,10.
tion therapy, rather than delaying treat-
ment and waiting for the end of the
growth stage to undergo orthodontic Interceptive Orthodontic
surgery11 (Fig. 2). ­Treatment
This protocol, which appears to be a
major development for the interception Interceptive therapy can act directly
of Class-III cases, has been associat- on dental arches.
ed with a pterygomaxillary disjunction The aim is to restore a maximal in-
with the aim of: tercuspidal occlusion centered without
– potentiate the progress of the maxil- muscular restraint in the context of
lozygomatic complex in one unit; dental Class-I occlusion allowing an al-
– Decrease the disparities on the max- ternating unilateral chewing18.
illary protraction obtained with the For the chewing to physiologically
BAMP protocol; practical, the occlusal plane must be
– Obtain results in older patients with oriented to a line approximately parallel
CS4 and CS5 cervical maturation. to the plane of Camper15 (Fig. 3).

J Dentofacial Anom Orthod 2017;20:207 7


Y. SOYER

Figure 4
© Raymond JL17. The thickness of the plate (in
Figure 3 blue) is the maneuverable space used for the
© Raymond JL17. Diagram of rotational reorientation of the occlusal plane. In yellow,
direction of the occlusal plane. Dotted white the initial pathological orientation of the occlu-
line: initial pathological orientation, down and sal plane. In red dots, the desired orientation
backward. Full white line: final orientation at the end of treatment and in red (solid lines),
approximately parallel to the Camper plane the initial orientation of the plate. (Note: The
(for didactic reasons the divergences are inclinations drawn are exaggerated to make the
exaggerated). diagram more didactic.)

It is therefore necessary to seek the


harmony between the determinants of ical mastication, which can be an ally
the occlusion, described by Hanau, ac- of the practitioner;
cording to the formula: – stability of the therapeutic result be-
Equilibrium = (incisor slope × condylar cause the early reorientation of the
slope) / (cuspidal height × inclination of occlusion plane creates the condi-
the occlusion plane × curve of SPEE). tions for a “peaceful” eruption of the
posterior teeth, i.e., without disrupt-
Early occlusal and functional stand- ing the mandibular kinematics17.
ardization will: The treatment procedure is per-
– stop the evolution of the dysmor- formed by the interposition of a plate,
phism by breaking the “dysmorpho- which will be selectively grinded at
functional” spiral; the occlusal side according to the ori-
– the potentiation of the correction entation of the desired occlusal plane
thanks to the rehabilitated physiolog- (Fig. 4).

INTERCEPTION, IS IT AN OBLIGATION?
Do clinicians have to “shoot everything temporary dentition, interception dur-
that moves” and intervene as soon as ing stable mixed dentition, orthodon-
the slightest sign of dysmorphism man- tics in adult permanent teeth or inevi-
ifests itself, even early in childhood8? table surgery.
Each patient will respond according Invented in Canada in the 1980
to their sensitivity: prevention from years, evidence-based medicine was

8 Soyer Y. Interception of Class-III malocclusions


Interception of Class-III malocclusions

i­ntroduced into our specialty in the In addition, the American Academy


2000s and was able to sow doubt and of Pediatric Dentistry advocates the
mistrust in clinicians’ minds on the interception of Class-III malocclusions
pretext that their interceptive practice to provide psychosocial benefits to the
could not be based on any randomized child by decreasing or suppressing fa-
study. cial disfiguration and decreasing the se-
The High Authority of Health an inde- verity of the malocclusion by promot-
pendent public authority, contributes to ing harmonious growth1.
the regulation of the health system and When faced with a Class-III malocclu-
recommends: sion, clinicians can no longer say that it
“For specific cases of Class-III occlu- is better to wait.
sions, (…) to treat mandibular forward Ignoring interceptive therapy leads to
shifts as soon as possible (…) The treat- the professional responsibility of the
ment of Class-III functional malocclu- practitioner for failure to provide informa-
sions must be implemented as early as tion on the various therapeutic possibili-
possible (rehabilitation of orofacial and ties and for missed ­opportunity because
maxillary advanced functions using the he has caused his patient to lose the
Delaire mask)” choice of early orthodontic treatment2.

CONCLUSION
Henriette Muller’s article on the “skel- the onset of dysmorphisms and prevent
etal Class-III” probably has given rise to their aggravation to facilitate a normal
research, studies, and publications. growth direction of the bone bases.
Class-III malocclusions can affect all According to Planas, on the principle
skeletal, alveolar, and dental structures. of Claude Bernard: “The function cre-
Because the organism adapts to dys- ates the organ and the organ adapts to
morphism, the clinical forms are gener- the function.”
ally mixed and the constituents involved “Primum non-nocere” is a medical
(cranial typology, maxillary size, and notion that must guide our therapeutic
their joint relationships with the cranial decisions. The “growth” factor and the
base) can be amplified or compensated. “time” factor are essential elements in
In the face of Class-III dysmorphisms, the development of Class-III disorders.
the interceptive approach performed
during the growth period must prevent Conflict of Interest: The author states that he
has no conflict of interest.

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10 Soyer Y. Interception of Class-III malocclusions

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