Evaluation of a Proposed Visual Treatment Objective method – Pilot Study.
Since the advent of radiographic cephalometry (Broadbent, 1931) the quest for the ideal diagnostic and treatment analysis has informed the efforts of many investigators (Tweed 1954; Steiner, 1959; Holdaway et al 1984). The Visualised Treatment Objective (VTO) is an important tool commonly used by orthodontists to predict growth and treatment changes in the developing patient. However all published methods of constructing VTO's are based on Caucasian norms (Ricketts, 1957, Jacobson and Sadowsky 1980, Holdaway et al 1984) and the relevance for the patients seen at the Orthodontic Clinic at the Oral Health Centre, Mitchell Plain has not adequately been established. The aim of this study is to assess the reliability of the Holdaway VTO on treated cases in a selected sample and to compare it with a proposed method of tracing a VTO. The proposed VTO is based on the following assumptions; 1) the outer limits of norms of the various cephalometric analyses are appropriate for our population, 2) the lower incisor is the sole determinant of the palato-labial limits of the dentition, 3) the most stable position of the lower incisor is between 90 to 95 degrees to the mandibular plane. Tracings of the Holdaway VTO, the proposed VTO and final tracings of cases treated at the above centre were compared. Results showed that there were significant differences (p<0.01) between the position of the lower incisor and the profile in the two VTO's. The proposed VTO conformed to a greater degree with the post-treatment cephalometric tracing.
South African Division Meeting
2003 South African Division Meeting 2003
