Long term dental transversal stability of Class II division 1 treated with cervical headgear

In several conditions, outcome stability is a great challenge for Orthodontics. Previous studies have reported that relapse commonly occurs along the years after orthodontic treatment finishing. The aim of the present study was to evaluate in the long-term transversal dental arch changes of Class II division 1 patients treated with cervical headgear and fixed appliance. Plaster study casts of 20 patients treated with cervical headgear without dental extractions were 3D-scanned and evaluated in three distinct times: initial (T1), immediate post-treatment (T2) and long-term retention (T3 - minimum 20 years). Transversal teeth distance of maxillary and mandibular canines, premolars and first molars were measured. A statistically significant increase during treatment was observed for all maxillary teeth transversal distances (p< 0.05). In turn, a significant reduction was observed in the long term (p