comparative assessment of soft-tissue changes in class ii division 1 patients following extraction and non-extraction treatment

background: the extraction of teeth for orthodontic purpose has always been a controversial subject in the speciality. the aesthetics impact of the soft-tissue profile might play a key role in deciding on premolar extraction or non-extraction (ne) treatment, particularly in borderline patients. the purpose of this cephalometric study was to examine the soft-tissue treatment effects of class ii division 1 malocclusion undergoing extraction of all first premolars in comparison with patients undergoing treatment with a ne approach. materials and methods: hundred post-pubertal female patients of class ii division 1 malocclusion were selected. group 1, treated with four first premolar extractions, consisted of 50 female patients with a mean age of 14 years 1 month. group 2, treated without extractions, consisted of 50 patients with a mean age of 13 years 5 months. pre-treatment and post-treatment lateral cephalograms of the patients were obtained. the pre-treatment and post-treatment stage comparison and the intergroup comparison of the treatment changes were conducted between extraction and ne groups of class ii malocclusion samples with t tests. the levels of significance tested were p < 0.05 and p < 0.01. results: the main soft-tissue differences between the groups at the end of treatment were a more retruded lower lip and a more pronounced lower labial sulcus in those patients subjected to extraction. conclusion: in class ii division 1 patients, the extraction or ne decision, if based on sound diagnostic criteria, seems to have no systematic detrimental effects on the facial profile. key words: borderline extraction- ne subjects and standard edgewise mechanics, dentoskeletal changes, extraction- ne subjects and class ii division 1, soft-tissue profile