A 7-year-old child has class I malocclusion with slight maxillary class III. What is the recommended management?

The management of a 7-year-old child with class I malocclusion and slight maxillary class III can benefit from head cap therapy. This treatment is specifically designed to address skeletal discrepancies in growing children, particularly when there is a need to modify the position of the maxilla or mandible.

In this case, head cap therapy can help in retraining the maxilla in relation to the mandible, assisting in the correction of the slight maxillary class III relationship. This approach utilizes a traction mechanism to gently guide the maxilla into a more favorable position while taking advantage of the child's growth potential.

Other options, while they have their own applications in dental treatment, may not specifically target the skeletal concerns related to class III relationships. For instance, an oral screen focuses on habit adjustments rather than structural repositioning; the inclined plane is mainly used for specific occlusal adjustments rather than growth modification; and a Hawley plate is more commonly used for space maintenance or minor tooth movement but is not designed for class III correction in growing patients. Therefore, head cap therapy is the most appropriate choice for effectively managing this child's condition.