Myofunctional therapy using twin block appliance in a class II Malocclusion patient with ADHD

ABSTRACT

@#A 9-year-old male ADHD patient with class II dentoskeletal malocclusion came to the Pediatric Department of Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, with a chief complaint of a protrusive look. The patient had a behavior disorder of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), in which its symptoms may be challenging in dental treatment since it heavily depends on the patient’s obedience and case selection. References and similar studies of myofunctional therapy in Class II Malocclusion Patients with ADHD are still scarce. Most patients with class II malocclusion present with hyperactive perioral muscle and altered tongue position. Hence, myofunctional appliance is a reliable treatment choice. A special rule where the patient was asked to focus on the operator’s instruction for 10 minutes and then a 5-minute break, was applied to this patient to overcome ADHD symptoms as a behavior management strategy. This is in line with a theory stating that children with ADHD are prone to distraction, causing them to have a shorter duration of focus, limited sustained attention span, poor impulse control, and motor overactivity compared to normal children. This strategy gave a positive result in maintaining the cooperation of the patient using the twin block for 6 months which is lead to positive progress in malocclusion correction.