Can orthodontic treatment improve mastication? A controlled, prospective and longitudinal study

Objectives:To prospectively and longitudinally evaluate the self-perceived masticatory ability and the tested masticatory efficiency in orthodontically treated and untreated groups. Design: Prospective observational cohort. Subjects and methods:Three groups of age matched adolescent girls were included, Sixty-five Class II subjects received orthodontic treatment fixed appliance treatment (Orthodontic group), 58 subjects were orthodontically untreated (Class II group) and 60 subjects had a normal occlusion (Normal group). The self-perceived masticatory ability was assessed on a visual analogue scale while the masticatory efficiency was evaluated with a masticatory efficiency test using round silicon tablets. Registrations were performed at the start and after two years when all subjects in the Orthodontic group had finished orthodontic treatment. Results: Over the two-year period the self-perceived masticatory ability increased significantly in the Orthodontic group. After treatment, the Orthodontic group perceived their masticatory ability as high as the Normal group did. The masticatory efficiency increased significantly, during the two years, in all three groups. However, the normal occlusion group presented a significantly better masticatory efficiency than both the Orthodontic group and the Class II group on both registrations. Conclusions: Orthodontic treatment was beneficial for the self-perceived masticatory ability. The masticatory efficiency increases with age during adolescence. Normal occlusion subjects had a better masticatory efficiency than subjects with orthodontically treated as well as untreated Class II malocclusion.