Cephalometric changes after headgear anchored to the deciduous second molars in the early mixed dentition

Abstract

AIM: The present study aimed to evaluate the cephalometric effects of a headgear anchored to the deciduous second molars in the early mixed dentition. MATERIALS: Study design: The study followed a retrospective longitudinal design and enrolled 31 consecutive patients (17 females and 14 males) treated with high pull (HP) headgear anchored to the deciduous second molars, average age 8y 5m± 5m at pre-treatment time (T0) and 9y 8m± 6m at post-treatment time (T1). All the patients wore the headgear for approximately 8-10 hours at night, with a force of 250 g per side. The active phase of treatment ended once patients obtained a distal step on permanent molars of at least 2 mm. Lateral cephalograms at T0 and T1 were taken; 10 angular measurements were chosen as variables of the study. The paired sample t-test was employed to assess the significance of the differences of each variable between T0 and T1. CONCLUSION: In this group of Class II patients, HP headgear anchored to the deciduous second molars in the early mixed dentition produced: significant reduction of SNA angle, significant increase of SN/NL angle with no significant change in SN/ML angle, significant labial flaring of upper incisors. As clinically evaluated, the correction of the Class II occlusal relationship and the anterior crowding of maxillary arch were also accomplished.