How effective is the combined activator-headgear treatment?

The frequency and possible causes of failure and success with the combination activator-headgear as the sole appliance was analysed retrospectively in 32 girls and 46 boys. The subjects comprised all the patients who started treatment with this combination in the postgraduate courses in 1972-82 at the Orthodontic Department of the University of Oslo, and where fixed appliances were not included in the initial treatment plan. Only 14 subjects completed the treatment with entirely satisfactory results according to strict criteria set for an acceptable standard. Among the most co-operative patients less than 50 per cent ended with entirely satisfactory results, and no one with decreasing or poor co-operation had a satisfactory result. Neither sex, treatment time, nor ossification of the ulnar sesamoid bone seemed to influence the results significantly.