Success rate of miniplate anchorage for bone anchored maxillary protraction

Objective: To evaluate the success rate of Bollard miniplate anchorage for bone anchored maxillary protraction (BAMP). Materials and Methods: Twenty-five consecutive patients (mean age, 12.0 +/- 1.2 years; range, 8.7-14.8 years) with maxillary hypoplasia without congenital or acquired deformation were included in this study. A total of 100 Bollard modified miniplates were placed by the same surgeon. Ninety-nine miniplates were inserted under general anesthesia, and one was placed under local anesthesia because of initially soft bone conditions. Loading of the miniplates with 150 g elastics was initiated at 17.5 +/- 6.9 days (range, 11-38 days) after surgery. Mean follow-up was provided at 20.8 +/- 11.1 months (range, 6.5-46.2 months). Results: The overall success rate of miniplate anchorage in terms of stability was 97%. During orthodontic loading, five miniplates showed signs of mobility. After interruption of loading over 2 months, two miniplates became stable again. However, a total of three miniplates needed to be removed and were successfully replaced under local anesthesia after a mean healing period of 3 months. Conclusion: Skeletal anchorage by means of Bollard modified miniplates is effective for BAMP. Success depends on proper presurgical patient counseling, minimal invasive surgery, good postsurgical instructions, and orthodontic follow-up. (Angle Orthod. 2011;81:1010-1013.)