Treatment outcomes of growing Class II Division 1 patients with varying degrees of anteroposterior and vertical dysplasias, Part 1. Cephalometrics

Influence of treatment with and without extractions on the growth pattern of dolichofacial patients

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this retrospective study was to compare, by means of lateral cephalograms, the facial growth pattern changes due to the treatment with and without extractions of four first premolars in dolichofacial individuals. METHODS: Groups 1 and 2 were constituted of 23 dolichofacial patients each, with Class II malocclusion, division 1 and initial age average of 12.36 and 12.29 years, respectively. Patients from Group 1 were treated without extractions and Group 2 was treated with extraction of the four first premolars, given that both used occipital headgear. Groups were compatibilized according to age, treatment period, gender and malocclusion severity. The t test was applied for intergroups comparison. RESULTS: Most variables (SN.PP, SN.Ocl and FMA) did not present statistically significant difference between groups. CONCLUSION: Although the treatment with extractions tend to reduce the mandibular plane angle (SN.GoGn) and the facial axis (NS.Gn), the analyzed treatment protocols did not affect in a clinically relevant way the facial growth pattern.

The impact of functional jaw orthopedics in subjects with unfavorable Class II skeletal patterns

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the outcomes of functional jaw orthopedics (FJO) followed by fixed appliances in Class II patients showing cephalometric signs predictive of unfavorable responsiveness to orthopedic treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 48 treated subjects (20 males, 28 females) with unfavorable Class II malocclusions were treated with FJO at the adolescent growth spurt, followed by fixed appliances. Treatment outcomes were compared with the growth changes in a matched control group of untreated subjects with "unfavorable" Class II malocclusions.

RESULTS

A significant prevalence rate of successful outcome was recorded within the treated group (64.5%). When compared with the untreated controls, both the overall treated group and the successful treated subgroup revealed a significant reduction in maxillary growth and sagittal position, along with a significant enhancement in mandibular length, sagittal advancement of the mandible, and significant improvements in the maxillo-mandibular relationships. Both overjet and molar relation showed significant favorable changes in the treated group.

CONCLUSIONS

FJO at the pubertal spurt followed by fixed appliances is a viable therapeutical option in patients with "unfavorable" Class II malocclusions, although skeletal changes are of minor entity.

Comparison of 2 comprehensive Class II treatment protocols including the bonded Herbst and headgear appliances: a double-blind study of consecutively treated patients at puberty

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this clinical trial was to compare the effects of 2 protocols for single-phase comprehensive treatment of Class II Division 1 malocclusion (bonded Herbst followed by fixed appliances [BH + FA] vs headgear followed by fixed appliances and Class II elastics [HG + FA]) at the pubertal growth spurt.

METHODS

Fifty-six Class II patients were enrolled in the trial and allocated by personal choice to 2 practices, where they underwent 1 of 2 treatment protocols (28 patients were treated consecutively with BH + FA, and 28 patients were treated consecutively with HG + FA). All patients started treatment at puberty (cervical stage [CS] 3 or CS 4) and completed treatment after puberty (CS 5 or CS 6). Lateral cephalograms were taken before therapy and 6 months after the end of comprehensive therapy, with an average interval of 28 months. Longitudinal observations of a matched group of 28 subjects with untreated Class II malocclusions were compared with the 2 treated groups. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post-hoc tests was used for statistical comparisons. Discriminant analysis was applied to identify preferential candidates for the BH + FA protocol on the basis of profile changes (advancement of the soft tissues of the chin).

RESULTS

The success rate (full occlusal correction of the malocclusion after treatment) was 92.8% in both treatment groups. The BH + FA group showed a significant increase in mandibular protrusion. The increase in effective mandibular length (Co-Gn) was significantly greater in both treatment groups when compared with natural growth changes in the Class II controls. Significantly greater improvement in sagittal maxillomandibular relationships was found in the BH + FA group. Retrusion of maxillary incisors and mesial movement of mandibular molars were significant in the HG + FA group. The BH + FA group showed significantly greater forward movements of soft-tissue B-point and pogonion compared with both the HG + FA and the control groups. Two pretreatment variables were significant (F = 4.48; P <0.01) in predicting the posttreatment amount of mandibular soft-tissue improvement in the BH + FA group: Co-Go-Me and pogonion to nasion perpendicular.

CONCLUSIONS

Class II treatment with either protocol during the pubertal growth spurt induces significant favorable dentoskeletal and occlusal changes. Functional jaw orthopedics had a greater favorable impact on the advancement of the chin. The clinical indications for the preferential use of the Herbst appliance at puberty are a small mandibular angle and mandibular retrusion before treatment. When treated with the BH + FA protocol, these Class II patients have the greatest probability of achieving significant improvement in the profile by advancement of the soft tissues of the chin.

Influence of cephalometric characteristics on the occlusal success rate of Class II malocclusions treated with 2- and 4-premolar extraction protocols

INTRODUCTION

The objectives of this investigation were to compare the initial cephalometric characteristics of complete Class II Division 1 malocclusions treated with 2 or 4 premolar extractions and to verify their influence on the occlusal success rate of these treatment protocols.

METHODS

A sample of 98 records from patients with complete Class II Division 1 malocclusion was divided into 2 groups with the following characteristics: group 1 consisted of 55 patients treated with 2 maxillary first premolar extractions at an initial mean age of 13.07 years; group 2 included 43 patients treated with 4 premolar extractions, with an initial mean age of 12.92 years. Initial and final occlusal statuses were evaluated on dental casts with Grainger's treatment priority index (TPI), and the initial cephalometric characteristics were obtained from the pretreatment cephalograms. The initial cephalometric characteristics and the initial and final occlusal statuses of the groups were compared with the t test. A multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of all variables in the final TPI.

RESULTS

The 2-premolar extraction protocol provided a statistically smaller TPI and consequently a better occlusal success rate than the 4-premolar extraction protocol. The 4-premolar extraction group had statistically smaller apical base lengths, more vertical facial growth patterns, and greater hard- and soft-tissue convexities at pretreatment than the 2-premolar extraction group. However, the multiple regression analysis showed that only the extraction protocol was significantly associated with the final occlusal status.

CONCLUSIONS

The initial cephalometric characteristics of the groups did not influence the occlusal success rate of these 2 treatment protocols.

Treatment outcomes of growing Class II Division 1 patients with varying degrees of anteroposterior and vertical dysplasias, Part 2. Profile silhouette evaluation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate pretreatment and posttreatment soft tissue profiles of 4 groups of growing Class II Division 1 patients treated with fixed orthodontic appliances and headgear. One hundred patients were grouped according to the severity of their initial retrognathia and vertical skeletal status. Standardized pretreatment and posttreatment profile silhouettes of each patient were randomized and projected for scoring by panels of lay persons and orthodontic residents. Statistical analysis consisting of nonparametric procedures showed that (1) as the initial skeletal discrepancies between the 4 groups worsened, the initial profiles were judged to be more unattractive (P <.001); (2) there was no perceived difference in the final profiles between the 4 groups; and (3) significantly greater improvement was measured for those with greater initial skeletal discrepancies (P <.05). This study demonstrated that, with appropriate and timely treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances and headgear, growing Class II Division 1 patients can undergo significant profile improvement, and, on average, even those more severely affected can achieve profile improvement so that they can be judged as attractive as those initially less severely affected.