Effects of Class II treatment with a banded Herbst appliance on root lengths in the posterior dentition

IntroductionThe aim of this study was a retrospective analysis of posterior teeth in 20 adolescents and young adults with Angle Class II Division 1 malocclusion treated with a banded Herbst appliance to check for inhibited root development and apical root resorption.MethodsPanoramic radiographs were taken of every patient at the beginning and after the completion of functional orthopedic treatment. The magnification of the area of the posterior teeth was determined individually for every radiograph. Then the vestibular lengths of the molars and premolars were assessed metrically. To assess root-length changes, the difference between the lengths of the teeth before and after treatment was calculated.ResultsAfter treatment with a banded Herbst appliance, tooth length generally increased in the area of the anchorage. But there was a tendency toward root-length decrease in teeth immediately adjacent to the Herbst fittings in the vestibular roots of both the maxillary first molars (distovestibular, –0.02 ± 2.31 mm; mesiovestibular, –0.06 ± 2.05 mm) and the mandibular first premolars (–0.46 ± 3.53 mm).ConclusionsThe banded Herbst appliance might deliver unphysiologic forces to immediate anchor teeth, thereby exposing these to a higher risk of root resorption than in other teeth incorporated into the anchorage either directly via bands or indirectly via occlusal or approximal contacts. Looking at uncompromised root morphology in the area of the anchorage, we believe that early treatment with fixed functional appliances can be predicted to yield better outcomes than late treatment because of the higher biologic tolerance expressed by teeth with an apical latency.