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To evaluate the results of interceptive treatment in the deciduous and early mixed dentition in children with posterior cross-bite in contrast to non-treatment, 86 four-year-old children with posterior cross-bite were selected from a total of 1046 children (9.6%). Half of the children with posterior cross-bite were treated early, starting at 5 years of age with grinding and, in the event of unsatisfactory results, expansion plates. The other half of the children were not treated until the age of 13. Another 25 children with excellent occlusion were included in the study as controls. All the children were followed to the age of 13 with five registrations at different ages. The registrations comprised clinical examination, impressions for dental casts, radio-graphic examination and photographs. Due to removal from the town or lack of interest some children were lost to follow-up. Thus, 61 children and 25 controls were included in the 8-year longitudinal follow-up. Of the 33 children treated early, only 9 showed correction of the cross-bite after grinding treatment. The subsequent interceptive treatment with expansion plates resulted in correction of the cross-bite in a further 17 children. Of the 28 children where no corrective treatment had been performed during the observation period, 6 showed spontaneous correction of the cross-bite. Four children in the control group developed cross-bite. It is, therefore, recommended to start treatment of posterior cross-bite by grinding in the deciduous dentition. If there is no effect, an orthodontic appliance, preferably fixed, should be applied in the early mixed dentition.
Thilander et al. (Sun,) studied this question.