An assessment of masticatory efficiency and occlusal load distribution in adolescent patients undergoing orthodontic treatment with functional jaw orthopedics: A prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Functional jaw orthopaedics, produces a radical change in the occlusal scheme and the masticatory apparatus, particularly in patients with Class II malocclusion. It remains to be seen how the changes brought about by a functional appliance alter the masticatory ability of a growing child, who needs the necessary nutrition to properly grow the craniofacial region.

Materials And Methods: Pretreatment and Post-treatment values of masticatory efficiency and the distribution of the occlusal load at centric occlusion were evaluated and compared for 20 patients with Class II division 1 malocclusion undergoing functional jaw orthopaedics.