Alveolar Bone Height Changes in Patients Treated with Conventional and Damon Brackets

Abstract

Objective: To compare the distance between the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) and marginal alveolar bone (MAB) on the buccal root surfaces of the maxilla and mandible after orthodontic treatment using Conventional bracket system (CS) and Damon bracket system (DS). Methods: The sample included 30 patients, 14- 46 years of age (13 treated with CB and 17 with DB) with moderate to severe crowding treated nonextraction. We compared pre and post-alignment cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images to measure the bone height (BH) changes of 24 buccal surfaces for each subject. Results: Even though we found great variability in BH levels, there was a statistically significant difference (Paired t-test: p value ≤ 0.05) between pre and post- alignment CBCT images of teeth in both Conventional and Damon groups. There was no statistically significant difference (independent t-test: p value ≤ 0.05) in BH changes when comparing the 2 bracket systems. Conclusion: The bone height levels changed after orthodontic treatment with both Conventional and Damon bracket systems, but there appears to be no significant difference in alveolar bone height changes between the two brackets in this study.