Skeletal changes produced by cervical and parietal headgears: a cephalometric evaluation

Abstract Introduction Extraoral strength is the most common strategy to correct Angle Class II malocclusion, restricting and redirecting the maxillary growth. Objective To evaluate the skeletal changes resulting from the use of headgear, with cervical and parietal anchorages, associated with a full fixed orthodontic appliance, in growing patients with Class II malocclusion (Angle) treated in the clinic of an orthodontic training center. Material and method The ages at the beginning and end of the treatment, anchorage type, and the values of some cephalometric variables were obtained from the clinical files. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 56 patient files were selected. Then, the sample was divided into two groups, according to the anchorage type: cervical (n=30) and parietal (n=26). The differences between the initial (T1) and final (T2) values of cephalometric measurements SNA, SNB, ANB, AO-BO, GoGn.SN and LHF (percentage of lower facial height to total facial height) were evaluated in both groups. Result Significant differences between T1 and T2 were found relative to SNB and ANB variables in both groups. The AO-BO variable presented a statistically significant difference only in the cervical group. The remaining variables did not show significant differences between T1 and T2. Conclusion The skeletal changes resulting from the use of cervical or parietal anchorage were very similar. There was a decrease in the sagittal discrepancy between the maxillary bones due to forward displacement of the mandible, without significant vertical changes.