Maxillary Molar Distalization Or Mandibular
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE Maxillary molar distalization or mandibular enhancement: A cephalometric comparison of comprehensive orthodontic treatment including the pendulum and the Herbst appliances Donald R. Burkhardt, DDS, MS,a James A. McNamara, Jr, DDS, PhD,b and Tiziano Baccetti, DDS, PhDc Ann Arbor and Okemos, Mich, and Florence, Italy Several methods of Class II treatment that do not rely on significant patient compliance have become popular during the last decade, including several versions of the Herbst appliance and the pendulum or Pendex molar-distalization appliances. Yet, these 2 general approaches theoretically have opposite treatment effects, one presumably enhancing mandibular growth, and the other moving the maxillary teeth posteriorly. This study examined the treatment effects produced by 2 types of the Herbst appliance (acrylic splint and stainless-steel crown) followed by fixed appliances, and the pendulum appliance followed by fixed appliances. For each of the 3 treatment groups, lateral cephalograms were analyzed before the start of treatment (T1) and after the second phase of treatment (T2). Patients were matched according to age and sex. The comprehensive treatment time for the pendulum group was 31.6 months, and the acrylic and crowned Herbst groups were treated for 29.5 months and 28.0 months, respectively. Overall from T1 to T2, there were no statistically significant differences in mandibular growth among the 3 groups. Skeletal changes accounted for a larger portion of molar correction in the Herbst treatment groups than in the pendulum group. Patients in the pendulum group had an increase in the mandibular plane angle. Conversely, the mandibular plane angle in patients treated with either Herbst appliance closed slightly from T1 to T2. At T2, the chin points (pogonion) of patients in both Herbst groups, however, were located slightly more anteriorly than were the chin points of the pendulum patients. It is likely that the slight downward and backward rotation of the mandible occurring during treatment in the pendulum patients accounted for much of this difference. The treatment effects produced by the 2 types of Herbst appliance were similar at T2, in spite of their differences in design. It is important not to generalize the findings of this comparison beyond the appliance systems evaluated. The 2 general approaches we evaluated involved a substantial dentoalveolar component in the treatment of Class II malocclusion. A comparison of a molar-distalizing appliance such as the pendulum with other types of functional appliances might yield differing results. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2003;123:108-16) he correction of Class II malocclusion is one of orthodontic patients treated for this condition. It is well the most common problems facing the orth- known, however, that Class II malocclusion is not a Todontist, with an estimated one-third of all single diagnostic entity1,2 but, rather, can result from various skeletal and dentoalveolar components. aGraduate orthodontic program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Many strategies are available for Class II treatment, private practice, Okemos and Ann Arbor, Michigan. and most orthodontists tend to choose a treatment bThomas M. and Doris Graber Endowed Professor of Dentistry, Department of protocol based on what part of the craniofacial skeleton Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry; Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine; Research Scientist, Center they believe the appliance will affect the most. For 3,4 for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. example, the Herbst appliance commonly has been Private practice, Ann Arbor, Michigan. used to treat patients with mandibular skeletal retru- cAssistant professor, Department of Orthodontics, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; Thomas M. Graber Visiting Scholar, Department of Orthodon- sion, whereas the molar-distalizing pendulum appli- 5 tics and Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann ance typically is used in patients with maxillary Arbor. dentoalveolar protrusion. Reprint requests to: Dr James A. McNamara, Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Perhaps more than any other type of functional MI 48109-1078; e-mail, [email protected]. appliance, whether fixed or removable, the treatment Submitted, February 2002; revised and accepted, August 2002. effects produced by the banded Herbst appliance have Copyright © 2003 by the American Association of Orthodontists. 0889-5406/2003/$30.00 ϩ 0 been well documented, especially by Pancherz and 4,6-19 doi:10.1067/mod.2003.7 colleagues. Other investigators have evaluated al- 108 American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Burkhardt, McNamara, and Baccetti 109 Volume 123, Number 2 ternative designs, including the cast Herbst appliance Table I. Sample selection and exclusionary criteria: by Wieslander20,21 and the acrylic-splint Herbst appli- stainless-steel crown Herbst appliance ance by McNamara et al,22 Lai and McNamara,23 and Franchi et al.24 No published studies have appeared Sample selection n concerning the treatment effects of the stainless-steel Parent sample 53 25-27 28 crown or the cantilever Herbst designs. The Primary exclusionary criteria short-term treatment effects of the pendulum appliance, 1. Poor film quality/magnification problems 4 which primarily affects the maxilla, also have been 2. Incomplete records 4 described.29-31 Secondary exclusionary criteria 1. T1 age less than 10 years 3 Although the long-term effects of the Herbst appli- 2. T1 to T2 interval greater than 48 months 4 32-36 ance used alone have been investigated, there is 3. Not Class II malocclusion 8 only 1 published study evaluating the treatment effects Final sample 30 of the Herbst appliance followed by a fixed-appliance phase of treatment.23 Furthermore, the treatment effects after the removal of the pendulum appliance have not The stainless-steel crown Herbst appliance been evaluated. Two designs of stainless-steel crown Herbst appli- Thus, considerable research has focused on the ance were used in this study. The stainless-steel crown treatment of Class II malocclusions with the Herbst and Herbst appliance,38 consisting of crowned maxillary the pendulum appliances. Presumably, knowing the first molars and mandibular first premolars,27,39 was treatment effects produced by different strategies to used in 23 patients; the stainless-steel crown cantilever correct a Class II malocclusion is essential when Herbst design38 was used in 7 additional patients. Aside considering what strategy to use to treat a Class II from the details of the Herbst design, the clinical patient. Therefore, the idea of treating the “wrong jaw” protocol for the Herbst appliance did not vary substan- has been an argument used by clinicians who support tially among practitioners. The maxillary and mandib- treatments aimed primarily at the maxilla or the man- ular crowns always were cemented permanently, ensur- dible. Surprisingly, however, only very limited infor- ing full-time wear of the appliance. mation is available regarding a direct comparison of a The stainless-steel crown Herbst sample was se- so-called mandibular-enhancing appliance such as the lected from an original group of 53 subjects from 4 Herbst and a molar-distalizing appliance such as the private orthodontic practices. To be included in this pendulum. Thus, it is the purpose of this study to make treatment group, patients had to meet all of the follow- a detailed comparison of the effects on Class II maloc- ing criteria: (1) a pretreatment Class II Division 1 clusions of the Herbst appliance followed by fixed malocclusion defined by at least an end-to-end molar appliances, and the pendulum appliance followed by relationship, (2) 2-phase treatment with Herbst therapy fixed appliances, to determine what morphological followed by preadjusted edgewise appliance treatment, differences, if any, are apparent at the end of treatment. (3) no permanent teeth extracted before or during treatment, and (4) good-quality radiographs with ade- quate landmark visualization taken before treatment PATIENTS AND METHODS began (T1) and immediately after removal of the This is a retrospective study designed to evaluate preadjusted edgewise appliances (T2). Thirty of the 53 cephalometrically the skeletal and dentoalveolar effects subjects met the inclusionary criteria (Table I). The of Class II correction obtained by 3 two-phase treat- sample consisted of 20 girls and 10 boys, whose ment modalities. The first treatment group consisted of average age was about 12 years (Table II). 30 patients treated with the stainless-steel crown Herbst appliance.27 The outcome of these treatments was The acrylic-splint Herbst appliance compared with that in 30 patients treated with the Serial cephalometric records of Class II Division 1 acrylic-splint Herbst appliance37 and in 30 patients subjects who underwent 2-phase treatment with an treated with rapid molar distalization with the pendu- acrylic-splint Herbst appliance37,40 immediately fol- lum appliance.5 Comprehensive fixed-appliance ther- lowed by preadjusted edgewise appliances also were apy followed Phase I treatment in all 3 groups. The analyzed. This acrylic-splint appliance had occlusal specific treatment protocols for the acrylic-splint and coverage from the canines to the first molars in the crown Herbst appliances and for the pendulum appli- maxillary