Zygoma-gear appliance for intraoral upper molar distalization

The aim of this report is to present an intraoral upper molar distalization system supported with zygomatic anchorage plates (Zygoma-gear Appliance, ZGA). This system was used for a 16-year-old female patient with a Class II molar relationship requiring molar distalization. The system consisted of bilateral zygomatic anchorage plates, an inner-bow and heavy intraoral elastics. Distalization of the upper molars was achieved in 3 months and the treatment results were evaluated from lateral cephalometric radiographs. According to the results of the cephalometric analysis, the maxillary first molars showed a distalization of 4 mm, associated with a distal axial inclination of 4.5o. The results of this study show that an effective upper molar distalization without anchorage loss can be achieved in a short time using the ZGA. We suggest that this new system may be used in cases requiring molar distalization in place of extraoral appliances. (Korean J Orthod 2010;40(3):195-206) KCI Citation Count: 4