To assess the changes in mandibular trabecular and cortical bone following functional appliance treatment through fractal dimension (FD) and cortical thickness (CorT) measurements.
The study was performed on 45 mandibular retrognathia cases. While the treatment group (T) comprised 30 patients treated using a functional appliance for one year during puberty, the control group (C) consisted of 15 patients who did not receive any orthodontic treatment due to insufficient oral hygiene. FD and CorT analyses were bilaterally evaluated for each mandible. FD measurements were performed on the condylar process, the antegonial notch, and ramus regions on panoramic radiographs. A paired
Statistically significant differences were found in the treatment group between the initial and post-treatment FD values of the right (
Mandibular protraction appliances do not produce trabecular bone alteration in the mandibular condyles, the antegonial notch and ramus over a 12-month time period.