Treatment of Class II Malocclusion with Van Beek Appliance at the University Student Clinic. : A Retrospective Study

Abstract: Aim This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Van Beek activator in treating Class II malocclusions in the university student clinic, and to identify factors influencing treatment success. Additionally, a qualitative assessment was conducted to evaluate the quality of the recorded orthodontic journals by the students of the clinic and to rate the degree of adherence to the policy-clinic template. Material and method Data from 229 patients who had their treatment finished within the years 2012-2022 at the university clinic, including in-house and referred patients, were collected and analysed using SPSS. Results The orthodontic journals maintained a high quality, while following annotations for check-ups and end of treatment varied in quality. The success rate of Van Beek treatments was approximately 69%, which is comparable to previous studies done at the university clinic. The degree of patient cooperation was found to be significantly associated with treatment outcome, with patients who showed excellent cooperation achieving the pre-set treatment aims more frequently. Referred patients showed a higher degree of cooperation and better treatment outcomes compared to in-house patients, possibly due to a higher treatment need and more serious response to the treatment. Conclusion The Van Beek activator was found to be effective in reducing overjet, as previously reported in functional appliance studies. Overall, the study highlights the importance of patient motivation and cooperation in achieving successful orthodontic treatment outcomes. Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the Van Beek activator and to confirm the findings of this study.