The aim of this study was twofold: 1) to asses the effects of a functional appliance on condyles damaged by juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). and 2) to evaluate its ability to reduce alterations in craniofacial development.Study design: Seventy-two JIA patients with temporomandibular involvement, ages ranging between 4 and 16 years, were treated. All of them presented temporomandibular joint involvement. They were treated with an activator and followed for 4 years. Results: At the second examination, it was possible to observe a reduction in mandibular retrusion and in the sagittal discrepancy between mandible and maxilla, a reduction in the angle of divergence, a counterclockwise rotation of the mandible, a reduction of the gonial angle, a longer mandibular ramus, a reduction in the discrepancy between anterior and posterior height caused by an increase in posterior height and a forward positioning of the chin. Conclusion: The functional appliance reduces the severity of facial alterations improving mandibular and condylar growth.

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BackgroundTraditionally, maxillofacial deformities are corrected surgically after an initial orthodontic treatment phase. However in, this article, the authors emphasize the postsurgical therapeutic protocol which is extremely important for determining the final and permanent retention of the corrected occlusion.MethodsA 55 year old female with severe skeletal Class II malocclusion is presented. Combined surgical and orthodontic correction of the malocclusion was used.Results: The step-by-step procedure the authors followed for the postsurgical therapy is described. The goals of the postoperative therapy were to restore and rehabilitate neuromuscular function, obtain occlusal stabilization, grind teeth selectively, and final occlusion retention. The importance of a surgical occlusal splint for rehabilitating stomatognathic neuromuscular function postoperatively was demonstrated. Furthermore, the orthodontic-prosthodontic treatment ensured occlusion stability after the surgical correction. The long-term results confirmed the efficacy of the treatment protocol presented here from both functional and aesthetical perspectives.ConclusionsPostsurgical orthodontic treatment is an important step in the surgical and orthodontic therapy of maxillofacial deformities.