<![CDATA[Objective: This research compared the effectiveness of the Active Skeletonized Sutural Distractor (ASSD) and the face mask (FM) in treating adolescent Class III malocclusion and assessed the stability of the mini screw utilized in the ASSD appliance. Methods: A total of 68 adolescents with Class III malocclusion were divided into either one of two treatment groups (ASSD or FM) for a maximum period of six months of therapy. Lateral cephalometric radiographs and impressions were taken for comparative purposes. The 3M® intra-oral elastic (USA) was attached to the mini-implant, and the mini-screw mobility was evaluated monthly using a force gauge (Correx®, Orthocare, UK). Changes in craniofacial morphology were compared using dependent and independent t-tests, respectively. The significance threshold was set at 0.05. Results: A total of 54 participants were included due to a drop-out. Statistically significant improvements were found in soft tissues and dentoskeletal parameters following treatment with both ASSD and FM. However, participants treated with ASSD showed significantly greater changes compared to FM. Except for inter premolar and inter molar width in the FM group, and intermolar width and palatal width in the ASSD group, neither appliance had a significant influence on palate and dental arch parameters after treatment. The percentage of mini-screw stability was 61.53%. Most participants (73.07%) in the ASSD group achieved corrections over 6 months. Conclusion: The ASSD has the potential to treat Class III malocclusion with better outcomes than the conventional FM and may replace the necessity for surgery.]]>
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