Treatment and posttreatment changes with combined headgear therapy

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of combined headgear treatment in high-angle patients and to evaluate the differences 2 years after treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study material consisted of lateral cephalograms of 21 patients (13 girls and eight boys; mean age 10 years 3 months) with Class II dental relationship. Only extraoral combined traction that was applied to maxillary first molars was used in the treatment of all patients. The patients were instructed to wear the appliance 20 hours per day until the molar relationship was corrected. The treatment time was approximately 5 months. At the beginning (T0), at the end (T1), and approximately 2 years after (T2) combined headgear treatment, lateral cephalometric radiographs were obtained. RESULTS: SNA and ANB angles and convexity decreased significantly during treatment (T0-T1; P<.05 and P<.01, respectively), and the net changes (T0-T2) in ANB angle and convexity were also found to be statistically significant (P<.01). During treatment, significant distal movement was found in the upper first molar, and the second premolar and molar were also distalized significantly (P<.001). At the end of 2 years, there was a significant mesial migration of the upper molars and the second premolar during the posttreatment period, but all of them were positioned more distally compared to the beginning of treatment (P<.001). The decrease in molar relation was statistically significant during the T0-T1 and T0-T2 periods (P<.001).