Treatment effects of Herbst appliance in skeletal Class II cases during pre-pubertal and post-pubertal periods: a cone-beam computed tomographic study

In the present study, Thirty-six Class patients II (A condition in which the upper jaw is larger than the lower jaw) were randomly selected and assigned to one of two groups based on their maturation stage: the pre-pubertal group (18 patients, mean age 9.15 ± 1.5 years) and post-pubertal group (18 patients, mean age 16.3 ± 1.0 years). All patients were treated with a metallic splint-supported Herbst IV appliance (An appliance that acts like artificial joint working between the upper and power jaws that keeps the lower jaw in a forward position, thus improving the Class II condition). Pretreatment (T1) and post-Herbst IV treatment (T2) scans were obtained for both groups. Dental and skeletal measurements were made on the scans and statistically analyzed using paired and independent t-tests. The study hypothesis was that; the dentoskeletal changes in Class II malocclusion treatment using Herbst appliance in the Pre-pubertal is more than the Post-pubertal growth stage due to the remaining growth potential for the pre-pubertal patients. The comparison between the two groups revealed statistically significant differences in horizontal skeletal parameters in the lower jaw only, while other readings were similar.