Long-term treatment effects in children with ectopic eruption of the maxillary first permanent molars.

Forty-five out of forty-six children with irreversible ectopic eruption of at least one of the maxillary first permanent molars and treated with cervical headgear could be reached for a 10-year follow-up. The mean age at the start of treatment was 8.3 years (range 6.5-9.9 years). Forty-six individuals served as controls. Two forms of discriminant analysis were used to evaluate treatment effects. The main results are illustrated by pretreatment and 10-year follow-up scatter plots. The latter showed the patients and controls were intermingled, indicating a uniformity of the cases after treatment. All negative side-effects of the treatment were eliminated at the follow-up. Cervical traction treatment is a good choice for correcting ectopically erupted upper first molars in suitable cases.