Retrospective study of clinical complications during orthodontic treatment with either a removable mandibular acrylic splint Herbst or with a cantilever Herbst.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical complications during treatment with either a removable mandibular acrylic splint (RMS) or with a cantilever (HC) Herbst appliance. METHODS: Records from 159 Class II, division 1, consecutively treated patients with a Herbst appliance were examined. The sample was composed of 82 male and 77 female patients with a mean age of 11.8 years. The Herbst appliance was used for a mean of 12 months (standard deviation 2.15 months). Two main Herbst groups were analyzed: group RMS (n  =  125) and group HC (n  =  34). They were further subdivided according to the telescopic system used (Dentaurum type 1 or PMA) and fixation mode (splint with crowns or Grip Tite bands). Patients' clinical records were assessed to identify clinical complications. RESULTS: The incidence of complications during treatment was 85.3% for the HC group and 88.0% for the RMS group, with no statistically significant difference (Mann-Whitney test, P > .05). The fixation mode (crown or band) also did not show a statistically significant difference (P > .05). Regarding the telescopic system used, the Dentaurum group had 2.9 times more susceptibility to complications than the PMA group, regardless of the Herbst type. CONCLUSIONS: On average, approximately 2.5 complications per patient were reported. Most patients had a maximum of three complications during Herbst treatment. Herbst appliance type (RMS or HC) and fixation mode (crowns or Grip Tite bands) did not influence the number of complications. The PMA (without screws) telescopic system seemed to be more reliable (regarding the number of complications) than Dentaurum type 1, regardless of the appliance design (RMS or HC).

Eficiência no tratamento da má-oclusão de classe II com o aparelho forsus / Efficiency in class II treatment with forsus appliance

A falta de colaboração dos pacientes no uso de aparelhos removíveis para o tratamento da má oclusão de classe II tem sido amplamente divulgada na Ortodontia. Isso tem levado os ortodontistas a procurarem métodos de tratamento que independam da cooperação do paciente. Entre os inúmeros aparelhos que surgiram nos últimos anos para o tratamento da classe II um dos que mais tem conquistado adeptos é o aparelho Forsus. Esse artigo tem por finalidade fazer uma descrição desse aparelho, mostrando a sua eficiência na correção de um caso clínico. Os aspectos biomecânicos do emprego de tal dispositivo também são discutidos.

The lack of patient cooperation in the use of removable appliances for the treatment of class II malocclusion have been widely reported in Orthodontics. This has led to seek orthodontic treatment methods that do not depend on patient cooperation. Among the many devices that have emerged in recent years for the treatment of Class II one who has won more users is the Forsus appliance. This article aims to provide a description of this device, showing its effectiveness in the correction of a clinical case. The biomechanical aspects of using this device are also discussed.