Incisor trauma and early treatment for Class II Division 1 malocclusion

This study investigated incisor trauma in children with overjets greater than or equal to 7 mm who were enrolled in a clinical trial of 2-phase early orthodontic treatment for Class II malocclusion. In phase 1, children were randomly assigned to treatment in the mixed dentition with either modified bionator or combination headgear or to a group in which treatment was delayed until the permanent dentition. All children received comprehensive treatment during phase 2 if necessary. At the start of the trial, 29.1% of the patients had already had some incisor trauma. This was not significantly related to dental developmental age. During the trial, there was an increase in trauma in all 3 groups, but the magnitude of this increase was not significantly greater in the group for which treatment was delayed until the permanent dentition. This might suggest that orthodontic intervention aimed at reducing trauma should begin very soon after the eruption of the maxillary incisors. However, the injuries tended to be minor, and the expected cost of treatment related to incisor trauma was small compared with the expected additional cost of a 2-phase orthodontic intervention.