ABSTRACT
Information on the limits of treatment could allow for more rational treatment planning and better results after treatment. From this point of view, this article has attempted to discuss the limits of orthodontic tooth movement. A relatively wider range of tooth movement is expected after Class III surgical-orthodontics than after conventional orthodontic treatment in general. The purposes of this paper were: first, to evaluate the reliability of teeth position measuring gauge; and second, to elucidate the limits of orthodontic tooth movement. Dental casts of fifty-five subjects were analyzed by using Set-up model checker (InVisitec Co., Korea) before and after the Class III surgical-orthodontic treatment. The changes of maxillary and mandibular dental arch widths were also measured from the canines to the second molars. To test the inter-examiner reliability, randomly selected casts were measured by another examiner. Descriptive statistics and paired t tests were used to explain the tooth movement during treatment. The results showed a relatively good reliability of measuring instruments and a very diverse range of tooth movement. Collective changes by the orthodontic tooth movement evaluated in Class III surgical-orthodontics allowed for a suggestive interpretation of specific treatment patterns. Arch width changes during the inter-arch coordination were mainly the result of tipping in both buccal segments. Based on the results of this study, the possibility of a change in dentition as a result of orthodontic treatment should be understood in order to launch a well-organized plan of treatment.