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Response to activator treatment in Class II malocclusions
American Journal of Orthodontics
|September 1, 1985
Summary
Activator treatment effectively corrects Class II malocclusions by influencing jaw growth and tooth positioning. This orthodontic appliance promotes significant changes in maxillary and mandibular structures for improved dental alignment.
Area of Science:
- Orthodontics
- Craniofacial Growth
- Dental Biomaterials
Background:
- Class II malocclusions, characterized by distocclusion, present complex treatment challenges.
- The activator appliance is theorized to correct these malocclusions through various mechanisms affecting maxillary and mandibular growth and tooth movement.
- Understanding the specific effects of activator treatment is crucial for optimizing orthodontic outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of activator treatment in correcting Class II malocclusions.
- To identify and quantify the specific craniofacial and dental changes induced by the activator appliance.
- To determine the contribution of various proposed mechanisms to the overall correction.
Main Methods:
- A clinical study involving cephalometric analysis of head films taken at 6-month intervals.
- Statistical analyses included matched-pairs comparisons between control and treatment groups, spline regression, and Student Newman-Keuls multiple comparison tests.
- Evaluated changes in maxillary growth, mandibular growth, tooth positioning, occlusal plane, and facial profile.
Main Results:
- Significant reduction in forward maxillary growth and anterior repositioning of the glenoid fossae.
- Uprighting of maxillary incisors, improved molar relationship, and leveling of the mandibular occlusal plane.
- Increased advancement of mandibular structures, increased face profile angle, and increased lower face height were observed.
Conclusions:
- Activator treatment demonstrates significant efficacy in correcting Class II malocclusions through a combination of skeletal and dental changes.
- While average changes were statistically significant, individual variations suggest that smaller, non-statistically significant effects may contribute to successful correction in some cases.
- The study highlights the multifactorial nature of Class II malocclusion correction with activator appliances, emphasizing the need to consider individual patient responses.