The postural basis of malocclusion: A philosophical overview

Science versus empiricism

“…Large random trials suggest that early treatment has few benefits, however Tulloch et al in their paper expressed satisfaction with the initial changes, which sadly were not maintained after fixed appliances were fitted and felt that 'other (yet-unidentified) clinical factors also must affect treatment outcomes' . More recent publications suggest that these clinical factors may be related to oral posture rather than function 34 and that treatment should start before eight years old if much skeletal change is required. 35 In 1895 the German orthodontist Roux 19 In the 1960s I reached the same conclusion and ever since then have based treatment on my perception of the cause of malocclusion, aiming to encourage horizontal growth of the facial bones, by means of good muscle tone and a tongue to palate resting posture with the mouth closed, in the belief that in these circumstances the teeth will align themselves.…”

Presurgical orthopedics by drink plates does not significantly normalize deglutition in infants with cleft lip and palate

“…15 Furthermore, the generation of negative intraoral pressure during swallowing and at rest has been established as a prerequisite for initiating deglutition, and is also seen as the basis of normal dentofacial development with neutral occlusion. 1,2,14,16,17 As a normal feature in subjects with neutral permanent dentition, swallowing dynamics include the formation of two separate intraoral spaces, or compartments: The subpalatal space (SPS), the functional space that forms between the back of the tongue and the palatal vault during deglutition and the vestibular space (VS), the functional compartment bordered on the lingual side by the tongue and by the lips and cheeks as the outer limit). 17,18 This biofunctional model of the act of physiological deglutition may serve as a basis for screening and analysis of intraoral compartment formation by manometry.…”

Oropharyngeal Airway Volume Following Orthodontic Treatment: Premolar Extraction Versus Non-Extraction

“…According to orthotropists, a retrusive mandibular position results in excessive vertical facial growth, due to a downward, backward positioning of the mandible (Kiliaridis et al 1989;Mew 2004). As the mandible shifts downward and backward, there is an increase in lower facial height and in the gonial angle (Tsai et al 2009).…”

“…According to orthotropists, dental malocclusion is linked to inadequate oropharyngeal volume, resulting from vertical growth and poor oral posture (Mew 2004;Singh et al 2007). Through the use of removable expansion mechanics, orthotropists claim they can open the airway to its full potential, promoting a horizontal growth pattern and resolution of malocclusions (Mew 2007;Singh et al 2007).…”

“…According to orthotropists, dental malocclusion can be linked to poor oral posture (Singh et al 2007), as interpreted from experimental primate studies reported by Harvold et al (1972Harvold et al ( , 1981. In addition, weak masticatory musculature, facilitated by a soft modern diet (Kiliaridis and Kalebo 1991), causes the mouth to hang open, resulting in a downward-backward positioning of the mandible and increased vertical growth (Kiliaridis et al 1989;Mew 2004). …”