Cephalometric Evaluation of Facial Vertical Changes Following Fixed Orthodontic Treatment with Extraction of Four First Premolars in Patients with Class I Malocclusion

Extraction of premolars as a part of orthodontic treatment is one of the controversial topics in current dentistry. According to some theories, extraction of first premolars results in a decrease in facial height. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of extraction of four first premolars on facial height in patients with class I malocclusion undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment.
This retrospective study was conducted on 20 patients (17 females and 3 males) with a mean age of 26.6 years. As a part of orthodontic treatment, the four first premolars had been extracted. Pre- and post-treatment lateral cephalometric radiographs of the patients were digitized. Image analyses were conducted by View Box 3.1.1. Paired t-test was used to compare each variable before and after treatment (α = 0.05).
Mean changes in cephalometric angles in the vertical and sagittal dimensions were not significant, and linear cephalometric variables did not exhibit any significant changes before and after treatment, except for FMA angle which increased significantly (p value In the treatment of patients with class I malocclusion in association with extraction of four first premolars, there were no changes in the facial height. Therefore, orthodontic treatment with extraction of the four first premolars does not result in unfavorable skeletal changes.