title: Growth and treatment changes in patients treated with a headgear-activator appliance.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate growth and treatment changes in patients with Class II Division 1 malocclusion treated with a combined headgear-activator appliance. The sample consisted of 20 consecutive male patients treated with headgear-activator. Their compliance was checked after 2 months of treatment, and 3 patients dropped out. Lateral cephalograms, obtained 6 months before treatment, at the start of treatment, after 6 and 12 months of treatment, and 24 months after treatment, were analyzed by the method of Pancherz. The results disclosed that during growth, on average, overjet, molar relationship, and jaw-base relationship improved, and the mandibular incisors became retruded; the changes were statistically significant over a 2-year period. There was no significant change in the overbite. During the 12 months of treatment, there was no maxillary forward growth, and the jaw relationship improved (P <.001) because of forward growth of the mandible (P <.001). The molar relationship and the overbite improved (P <.001). Significant treatment effects included reduction in overjet (P <.001) and overbite (P <.01), and improvement of jaw-base (P <.05) and molar (P <.001) relationships. There was significant restraint of maxillary forward growth (P <.05). The eruption of the maxillary incisors and molars was restrained (P <.05). The average basic growth pattern in Class II Division 1 malocclusion resulted in small favorable changes in overjet, molar relationship, and jaw-base relationship. The main effect of the headgear-activator appliance was a favorable dental change, limited to restraint of maxillary forward growth but not affecting the vertical dimension.
authors: Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, SAR China. sambende@hkusau.hku.hk
authors: Margareta
authors: M
authors: Bendeus
authors: Urban
authors: U
authors: Hägg
authors: Bakr
authors: B
authors: Rabie
mesh_terms: D000202:Activator Appliances; D000293:Adolescent; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D005115:Extraoral Traction Appliances; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008312:Malocclusion, Angle Class II / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008334:Mandible / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D008437:Maxilla / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D008445:Maxillofacial Development / Q000502:physiology*; D008963:Molar / Q000473:pathology; D010349:Patient Compliance; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014078:Tooth Eruption / Q000502:physiology; D014716:Vertical Dimension