Tridimensional assessment of condylar changes after bone-anchored maxillary protraction therapy (BAMP)

• Grant number: 25/10883-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: February 01, 2026
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Orthodontics
• Principal Investigator: Daniela Gamba Garib Carreira
• Grantee: Susan Sassaki
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru (FOB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Bauru , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 26/02470-4 - Condylar changes after bone-anchored maxillary protraction therapy (BAMP): a three-dimensional analysis using Artificial Intelligence based tools, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study will be to evaluate condylar changes related to remodeling following maxillary protraction therapy anchored on miniplates (BAMP) and to evaluate condylar symmetry pattern alterations before and after therapy. Methods: The sample will consist of secondary data from 53 children of both sexes, aged between 10 and 14 years, with or without lip and palate cleft and Wits appraisal < -1 mm. Patients were previously treated with full-time Class III elastics anchored in two titanium miniplates in the infrazygomatic crest and two miniplates in the mesial of the mandibular permanent canines. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans will be obtained before (T1) and 12 to 18 months after bone-anchored maxillary protraction (BAMP) therapy (T2). Using tools from the 3D Slicer software and deep learning-based automated features, the CBCT images will be processed and segmented to generate three-dimensional models of the mandible. Anatomical landmarks on the medial, lateral, and superior poles of the condyles will be identified. Condylar images will be superimposed using voxel-based registration and shape correspondence analysis. To assess the presence of asymmetries, one of the segmented condyles will be mirrored and then both condyles will be superimposed using best-fit surface registration. Condylar changes will be quantified by calculating the distances between corresponding landmarks at T1 and T2 and from left and right condyles at T1 and T2. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test will be used to assess the normality of the distributions. The comparison of condylar displacement measurements between the BAMP and control groups will be performed using the independent t-test if the data are normally distributed, or the Wilcoxon or Mann-Whitney test if the data show a non-normal distribution. Pre- and post-therapy condylar asymmetries will be compared using the same statistical tests. A significance level of 5% will be adopted. (AU)