A prospective study on the clinical effectiveness of the stainless steel crown Herbst appliance.

To evaluate the clinical performance of the stainless steel crown Herbst (cHerbst) used as a single appliance for a single phase therapy. A total of 180 consecutive Class II patients were treated with cHerbst for one year and followed up one year after the end of treatment. Class I relationship was achieved in all 175 patients who finished the functional phase of treatment, 58 patients continued treatment with fixed appliances while 21 patients (12%) showed relapse. Seventy two patients (41.1%) obtained and maintained stable Class I relationship one year after treatment with the cHerbst appliance used as a single appliance. Altogether 46 episodes of appliance breakages were observed and most of them could be repaired at the chair side. Patients' questionnaire revealed that in general the appliance was easy to tolerate and did not cause esthetic or functional problems. The crown Herbst appliance is a viable therapeutical option in patients with Class II malocclusions and it is characterized by low complication rate along with good patient compliance.