A hybrid myofunctional appliance for hemifacial hypertrophy – A case report

Introduction : Hemifacial hypertrophy is one of the rare deformities which occur in the craniofacial region. Children who have such deformities are affected not only functionally but also psychologically by the surrounding peer pressure. Treatment in such patients should be carried out as early as possible because of the growth that in present at young age. Hybrid functional appliance helps in correcting the hard and soft tissue imbalance caused by the deformity. This case report describes the treatment modality for the correction of facial deformity using hybrid appliance. A young boy of age 10yrs presented with hemifacial hypertrophy of the right side of the face with chin deviated towards the opposite side because of the excessive growth on right side. He underwent first phase of treatment for the craniofacial deformity for about 4yrs using a Hybrid Myofunctional Appliance. Results: Arch form and dentoalveolar changes were achieved considerably by using hybrid appliance. Chin deviation showed moderate changes with partial correction of the facial asymmetry at the end of first phase of treatment. Conclusion: Achieving an appreciable balance in the alvelolar remodelling and thereby causing change in skeletal parameters using myofunctional appliance can considerably reduce the facial deformity which will reduce the complexity of orthognathic surgery performed at later age