The conundrum of managing a skeletal Class III malocclusion is significant and the burden on the patient and challenge for the orthodontist is frequent. The challenge behind this polygenic condition lies within its etiologic diversity. In this session, we will consider those factors contributing to Class III malocclusion and the evidence-based approach on how to treat it. Our discussion will include an assessment of a systematic method to characterize skeletal Class III patients into subtypes and determine its effectiveness in predicting treatment success or failure. We employ a novel formula that reveals which Class III subtypes are more likely to experience non-surgical treatment failure than those which are successful. The potential use of this formula as a predictive model may improve the diagnostic process of Class III patients and aid in better treatment outcomes and, therefore, optimal patient management.
Learning Objectives:
After this lecture, attendees will be able to:
Recognize and describe distinct clinical subtypes of the Class III malocclusion phenotype and etiology.
Evaluate a novel mathematical formula for its ability to predict success or failure of early non-surgical interventions for Class III malocclusion.
Demonstrate any correlations between the etiologic underpinnings of Class III malocclusion with clinical treatment outcomes.
