Assessment of Dental Arch Changes and Buccal Bone Thickness in Patients treated with Self-ligating Brackets.

Aims: To evaluate changes in transverse dimensions of upper arch and thickness of the buccal bone plate in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment during the leveling phase.

Materials And Methods: Sixteen patients aged between 11 and 30 years, presenting with class I and II malocclusion, with minimum of 2 mm crowding treated without extraction, were divided into two groups: GI (n = 8), self-ligating brackets (Easyclip Aditek), and GII (n = 8), conventional preadjusted brackets (3M Unitek). The intercanines, interpremolar, and intermolar widths were measured in dental casts using a digital caliper, before (T1) and after 6 months of treatment (T2).