Mohammad Wahbi, BDS, MSc
King Abdulaziz Hospital. P.O. Box 3381. Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

In the primary dentition, anterior crossbite is usually indicative of a skeletal growth problem and a developing Class III malocclusion. In permanent incisors (Class I), it is a dental-type malocclusion due to abnormal axial inclination of maxillary anterior teeth which should be treated without delay. Thirteen patients with central or lateral crossbites were selected with ages ranging from 8-i 1.5 years. Criteria for selection included: patient having normal occlusion at molar and canine areas (Class I); root of in-locked tooth must be completely developed; there must be sufficient room to move the crossbite tooth mesiodistally; parents' consent and medical fitness of the patient. In this report, composite resin type II self-cure, two paste system was used to construct the bite plates. The appliance was left in the patient's mouth for a maximum of two weeks and was then removed. The purpose of this report was to evaluate the effectiveness of self-cure composite resin as a material and technique for lower inclined bite plane to correct anterior crossbites. The use of composite resin lower inclined plane not only appeared effective in treating the selected cases, but also reduced the number of patient's visits and chair time. Enamel remained normal and healthy without etching. There was also no cementation or recementation needed to fix the appliance on the lower anterior teeth.

Saudi Dental Journal 1996;8(3):154-158.