Orthosurgical management of severe class III malocclusion - A case report

Class III malocclusions are the result of insufficient forward growth of the maxilla, excessive forward mandibular growth or a combination of both. For patients whose orthodontic problems are so severe that neither growth modification nor camouflage offers a solution, surgery to realign the jaws or reposition dentoalveolar segments is the only possible treatment. Dramatic progress in recent years has made it possible for combined surgical orthodontic treatment to be carried out successfully for patients with a severe dentofacial problem. This case report highlights the successful management of a 19-year-old male with skeletal class III relationship with compromised esthetics and poor functional adaptation with combined orthodontic and surgical line of treatment. Patient's malocclusion was decompensated first by pre-surgical orthodontics with extractions of four pre molars followed by orthognathic surgery to achieve structural balance, acceptable esthetics and stable functional occlusion.