Periodontal status of mandibular incisors following excessive proclination. A study in adults with surgically treated mandibular prognathism.

The present study was undertaken to examine whether excessive proclination of mandibular incisors results in gingival retraction. In patients with surgically treated mandibular prognathism, 29 with more than 10 degrees proclination of mandibular incisors and 33 with minimal change in incisor inclination during presurgical orthodontic phase were selected. A total of 21 and 19 patients, respectively, could meet for a clinical follow-up examination including Visible Plaque Index, Gingival Bleeding Index, probing pocket depth, and length of supracrestal connective tissue attachment. Study models and intraoral color slides were also made. The mean postoperative times at this examination were 7.8 (SD 2.5) and 8.1 (SD 2.8) years, respectively. Clinical crown height was measured on the study models taken before and after appliance therapy, at the 3-year postoperative control (check) and at the follow-up examination. The number of teeth with recession was determined from the color slides taken at the same intervals; the thickness of the symphysis was measured on the cephalograms taken before treatment. The results demonstrated significantly more increase in clinical crown height and significantly more teeth developing recession both during appliance therapy and during the period from removal of appliance to the 3-year postoperative control in the patients with excessive proclination than in the patients with minimal change in incisor inclination. The correlation coefficient between width of symphysis and increase in clinical crown height in patients with excessive proclination was statistically significant. Only minimal changes were observed from 3 years postoperatively to the follow-up examination. No differences in clinical measurements were observed between the groups and bone dehiscences were not found.