Treatment needs following activator-headgear therapy

The purpose of this study was to analyze the types and prevalence of malocclusions that remain to be corrected after a period of combined activator-headgear treatment. Study models of all patients who started treatment with an activator-headgear appliance in the graduate orthodontic clinic at the University of Oslo between 1972 and 1982 were screened. Patients initially judged to need a second phase of treatment and those later judged to have poor cooperation were omitted from the study. The results show that the most frequently remaining problems following activator-headgear treatment were overbite, overjet, and the presence of interdental spaces. Correction of the Class II skeletal and dental relationship was achieved in the majority of the cases. The only predictor for success was age at the time of treatment.