The effects of lip bumper therapy in the mixed dentition.

A prospective clinical trial was undertaken to study the effects of 6 months of continuous lip bumper therapy on patients in the mixed dentition with mild-to-moderate mandibular arch perimeter deficiency. Thirty-four patients, ages 7.9 to 13.1 years (mean = 10.2), seeking treatment in the postgraduate orthodontic clinic of the Medical College of Virginia, presented possessing 3 to 8 mm of mandibular crowding, with both mandibular primary second molars, were randomly placed in either the treatment or nontreatment group. Treated subjects underwent continuous lip bumper therapy, whereas the control subjects were monitored without undergoing any active treatment, each for 6 months. Arch dimension changes were assessed with study models. Alterations of mandibular incisor position were measured from lateral cephalometric radiographs. Mandibular left permanent first molar position changes were determined from both lateral cephalometric and tomographic radiographs, with the resolution of each imaging technique in measuring molar tooth movement also compared. It was found that significant differences in mandibular incisor inclination, molar position, arch length, and arch perimeter existed between treated and untreated subjects. In addition, multiple observer analysis showed that cephalometric examination lacks sensitivity when used to measure molar movement.