Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the treatment times in patients with complete bilateral Class II malocclusion, with and without mandibular crowding, treated with 4 premolar extractions. METHODS: The sample comprised 57 retrospectively and consecutively selected patients (30 male, 27 female) treated for initial Class II malocclusion, divided as follows: Group 1 consisted of 23 patients (11 males, 12 females; mean age 13.13 years) presenting no crowding or 3 mm at most. Group 2 consisted of 34 patients (19 males, 15 females; mean age13.06 years) presenting more than 4 mm of crowding. Crowding was manually measured in the initial dental casts. The Objective Grading System (OGS) index was manually measured in the final dental casts and radiographic images. The groups were comparable regarding initial age, gender distribution, and final occlusal statuses. The treatment times between the groups were compared using the t-test. Correlation between crowding and treatment time was evaluated with Pearson correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Treatment times between the 2 groups were similar (P = .890) and there was no significant correlation between the amount of crowding and treatment time (r = 0.04, P = .760). CONCLUSION: Treatment times for complete Class II malocclusion with and without mandibular crowding, treated with 4 premolar extractions, are similar.