UCSF

One of the strongest influential factors of achieving acceptable esthetic orthodontic results is attributed to soft tissue outcomes. Most patients seek orthodontic treatment due to their dissatisfaction of aesthetics. Thus, successful orthodontic treatment is typically measured with proper teeth alignment and soft tissue outcomes such as lack of recession or black triangles. This prospective cohort study evaluates the effects of orthodontic rotation and proclination of teeth in the esthetic zone (canine to canine) on the alveolar bone housing and soft tissue parameters, keratinized tissue width, midfacial recession, papilla height and width, and soft tissue biotype during the first 6 and 12 months of treatment. The patients enrolled in the study are from the University of California, San Francisco postgraduate orthodontic clinic receiving orthodontic treatment. These patients were measured immediately prior to beginning orthodontic treatment, 6 and 12 months after the start of treatment. During the first 12 months of orthodontic treatment, this study found that 1) rotation of the tooth into proper alignment is correlated with a decrease in alveolar housing width at the level of S1; 2) orthodontic rotation has minimal impact on the periodontium in the aesthetic anterior region; 3) changes in the upper centrals inclination are correlated with a decrease in midfacial recession; 4) There is also a positive correlation with an increase in KTW at the level of S1.