title: The Effects of Functional Appliances on Female Patients with Skeletal Class II Malocclusion 6 Months after Menarche.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the skeletal, dental, and soft tissue changes in girls with class II division 1 malocclusion after growth spurt peak under the effect of activator appliance.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this clinical trial study, 15 female patients, with skeletal class II and mandibular growth deficiency and at least 5 mm overjet, were randomly selected 6 months after their menarche. The mean of their ages at the beginning was 12.33 ± 0.81 years, and in the end it was 13.73 ± 0.79 years; the mean duration of treatment was 12.2 ± 3.18 months. Lateral, cephalometric radiographs were taken from all the patients before and after the treatment. Data were analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 20 using paired t-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On an average, the ANB angle, the angle of the upper incisors with the S-N, facial convexity, and overjet decreased by 2.6° ± 0.9, 5.4° ± 0.8, 3.8° ± 3.4, and 5.6 ± 1.8 mm respectively. The SNB angle, the angle of the lower incisors with the N-B, the labiomental angle, the total length of the mandible, the lower anterior facial height, the lower lip distance, the first molar of the mandible, and the soft tissue pogonion to the vertical line from the S point increased by 2.8° ± 1.8, 3.4° ± 3, 14.7 ± 15, 3.7 ± 2.6, 2.1 ± 1.6, 6.3 ± 2.5, 4.4 ± 2.4, and 6 ± 3.3 mm respectively. All these figures were statistically significant (p = 0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The functional appliance improved the dental-skeletal relations and the soft tissue profile of patients after the growth spurt peak of puberty in a group of Iranian girls, whereas dental changes were more than skeletal ones.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Functional appliances can be used for correction of skeletal class II malocclusion 6 months after menarche in girls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Dental Material Research Center, School of Dentistry, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Mazandaran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Ali Am
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Jouybari
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor and Member, Department of Orthodontics, Dental Material Research Center, School of Dentistry, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Mazandaran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Phone: +989111127299, e-mail: v.arash@mubabol.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Valiallah
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Arash
authors.affiliation: Private Practice, Shiraz, Fars, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Saeid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tavanafar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol Mazandaran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Soraya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khafri
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Dental Material Research Center, School of Dentistry, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Mazandaran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dehghar
mesh_terms: D000202:Activator Appliances; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008312:Malocclusion, Angle Class II / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Activator appliance; Growth modification; Skeletal class II division 1.