Correction of open bite by maxillary osteotomy. A comparison between bone plate and wire fixation.

A clinical and cephalometric standardized study of surgical correction of open bite deformity was performed on 19 individuals. The mode of fixation of the maxilla after surgical correction was by direct wires in 9 of the patients combined with suspension wires to the infraorbital rim and in 10 patients plate fixation. The follow-up time was 18 months and the results in both groups were clinically and cephalometrically stable in the short (2 and 6 months) and medium terms (18 months). No statistically significant difference was found between the groups regarding tendency to relapse. It was, however, concluded that the advantages of plate fixation both on clinical grounds and for patient comfort are factors in favour of using miniplates for maxillary surgical procedures.