The mechanism of Class II correction during Herbst therapy in relation to the vertical jaw base relationship: a cephalometric roentgenographic study.

This retrospective Herbst study analyzes and compares the sagittal dental and skeletal effects contributing to Class II correction in subjects with small or large pretreatment mandibular plane angles. Lateral headfilms of 15 hypodivergent (ML/NSL < or = 26 degrees) and 16 hyperdivergent (ML/NSL > 39 degrees) Class II subjects treated to a Class I occlusal relationship with the Herbst appliance were analyzed. Radiographs were taken before and after an average treatment period of 7 months. Cephalograms were evaluated according to the method of Pancherz. In both groups, impprovements in sagittal incisor and molar relationships were achieved by greater dental than skeletal changes. The amount of skeletal changes contributing to overjet and molar correction was larger in the hyperdivergent group (37% and 44%, respectively) than in the hypodivergent group (25% and 25%, respectively). Dental and skeletal changes contributing to Class II correction were found to be independent of the vertical jaw base relationship. Thus, a hyperdivergent jaw base relationship did not affect the treatment response unfavorably.