Stability of Class II malocclusion treatment with Class II elastics.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to compare the long-term cephalometric stability after successful therapy of nonextraction Class II malocclusion with elastics and with headgear.

Methods: The sample comprised 43 patients with Class II malocclusion and was divided into 2 groups. The elastic group (EG) consisted of 20 patients treated with fixed appliances associated with Class II elastics, and the headgear group (HG) consisted of 23 patients treated with fixed appliances and extraoral headgear. Pretreatment, posttreatment, and long-term posttreatment lateral radiographs were evaluated; t tests were used to compare the long-term posttreatment changes between the groups.

Results: The groups were matched regarding initial age, time of long-term posttreatment evaluation, initial malocclusion severity, quality of treatment result, and all pretreatment cephalometric variables. Intergroup comparisons of long-term posttreatment changes showed that the HG group presented significantly greater mandibular protrusion, occlusal plane angle decrease, and maxillary molar mesialization. However, long-term posttreatment stability was similar in overjet, overbite, and molar relationships.

Conclusions: Nonextraction Class II malocclusion treatment with elastics or extraoral headgear have similar long-term posttreatment stability.