Expert consensus on early orthodontic treatment of class III malocclusion

Zhou X 1 , Chen S 2 , Zhou C 3 , Jin Z 4 , He H 5 , Bai Y 6 Show all authors , Li W 2 , Wang J 7 , Hu M 8 , Cao Y 9 , Liu Y 10 , Yan B 11 , Shi J 12 , Guo J 13 , Li Z 14 , Ma W 15 , Liu Y 16 , Li H 17 , Lu Y 18 , Ren L 19 , Zou R 20 , Xu L 21 , Hu J 22 , Wu X 23 , Cui S 24 , Xu L 25 , Wang X 26 , Zhu S 27 , Hu L 1 , Tang Q 1 , Song J 28 , Fang B 29 , Chen L 30

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Stomatology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
  • 2 Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Beijing, China
  • 3 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Centre for Oral Diseases & Department of Pediatric Dentistry, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
  • 4 Department of Orthodontics, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
  • 5 State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
  • 6 Department of Orthodontics, Beijing Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
  • 7 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & Department of Orthodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
  • 8 Department of Orthodontics, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, China
  • 9 Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou, China
  • 10 Department of Orthodontics, Shanghai Stomatological Hospital & School of Stomatology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
  • 11 Department of Orthodontics, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
  • 12 The Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
  • 13 Department of Orthodontics, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Shandong University, Jinan, China
  • 14 The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
  • 15 Department of Orthodontics, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
  • 16 Department of Orthodontics, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
  • 17 Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
  • 18 Xiangya Stomatological Hospital and Xiangya School of Stomatology, Central South University, Changsha, China
  • 19 School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
  • 20 Hospital of Stomatology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
  • 21 Hospital of Stomatology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
  • 22 School/Hospital of Stomatology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
  • 23 Shanxi Medical University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Taiyuan, China
  • 24 School of Stomatology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
  • 25 The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
  • 26 Department of Oral and Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine & College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
  • 27 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
  • 28 College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University & Chongqing Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering of Higher Education, Chongqing, China. songjinlin@hospital.cqmu.edu.cn
  • 29 Department of Orthodontics, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine & College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China. fangbing@sjtu.edu.cn
  • 30 Department of Stomatology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. chenlili1030@hust.edu.cn
Int J Oral Sci, 2025 Apr 01;17(1):20.
PMID: 40164594 DOI: 10.1038/s41368-025-00357-9

Abstract

The prevalence of Class III malocclusion varies among different countries and regions. The populations from Southeast Asian countries (Chinese and Malaysian) showed the highest prevalence rate of 15.8%, which can seriously affect oral function, facial appearance, and mental health. As anterior crossbite tends to worsen with growth, early orthodontic treatment can harness growth potential to normalize maxillofacial development or reduce skeletal malformation severity, thereby reducing the difficulty and shortening the treatment cycle of later-stage treatment. This is beneficial for the physical and mental growth of children. Therefore, early orthodontic treatment for Class III malocclusion is particularly important. Determining the optimal timing for early orthodontic treatment requires a comprehensive assessment of clinical manifestations, dental age, and skeletal age, and can lead to better results with less effort. Currently, standardized treatment guidelines for early orthodontic treatment of Class III malocclusion are lacking. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the etiology, clinical manifestations, classification, and early orthodontic techniques for Class III malocclusion, along with systematic discussions on selecting early treatment plans. The purpose of this expert consensus is to standardize clinical practices and improve the treatment outcomes of Class III malocclusion through early orthodontic treatment.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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