Skeletal and Dentoalveolar Effects Induced by the Paolone-Kaitsas Appliance in the Treatment of Class II Malocclusion: A Controlled Retrospective Study on Lateral Cephalograms

The aim of this study was to assess the skeletal and dentoalveolar effects induced by the Paolone-Kaitsas functional appliance (PK appliance) in the treatment of growing patients affected by Class II malocclusion. A group of 25 Class II patients, treated with the PK appliance followed by fixed appliances, was evaluated with lateral cephalograms at the start (9.6 ± 1.6 years) and at the end of treatment (13.0 ± 1.5 years), and was compared with a matched untreated Class II control group of 23 subjects selected from the web archive of the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation Craniofacial Growth Legacy. Statistical comparisons were performed with the Student’s t-tests. The treated group showed a significant decrease in SNA (−2.2°), ANB (−2.2°), and Wits appraisal (−3.4 mm), a significant increase in the SN-palatal plane angle (1.1°), and a significant improvement in overjet (−2.9 mm), overbite (−2.5 mm), and molar relationship (3.6 mm). The PK appliance produced favorable dentoalveolar and skeletal effects: it inhibited maxillary growth without effects on the mandible and it also induced a downward inclination of the palatal plane.