Condylar changes after bone-anchored maxillary protraction therapy (BAMP): a three-dimensional analysis using Artificial Intelligence based tools

• Grant number: 26/02470-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: April 29, 2026
• End date: July 02, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Orthodontics
• Principal Investigator: Daniela Gamba Garib Carreira
• Grantee: Susan Sassaki
• Supervisor: Lucia Helena Cevidanes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru (FOB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Bauru , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 25/10883-4 - Tridimensional assessment of condylar changes after bone-anchored maxillary protraction therapy (BAMP), BP.MS

Abstract

Introduction: Bone-anchored maxillary protraction therapy (BAMP) brought innovation in skeletal Class III malocclusion treatment. Condylar changes resulting from this therapy have not yet been fully elucidated. Objective: This retrospective study aims to compare BAMP effects on condyles using an artificial intelligence driven three-dimensional analysis. Methods: The sample will be composed of 53 patients with skeletal Class III, aged between 10 and 14 years, with or without cleft lip and palate (CLP). Patients were previously treated with BAMP therapy. A control group of patients treated without using AP mandibular forces was evaluated. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were taken before (T1) and after 12 to 18 months of therapy (T2). Using 3D Slicer and ITK-SNAP softwares, three-dimensional changes and asymmetries will be evaluated by superimposition of pre- and post-treatment CBCT images. Artificial intelligence tools from Slicer Automated Dental Tools will be used to perform automatic base orientation, automatic mandibular segmentation, automatic landmark identification and automatic quantification of condylar remodelling. Condylar displacement measurements comparison 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 regarded. (AU)