Class II division 1malocclusions: comparison between one-and two-step treatment

Objective of the study: The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of two-phase orthodontic treatment versus single-phase treatment in adolescent patients with Class II malocclusion. Material and methods: A systematic review of the literature with a critical approach was conducted. The bibliographic search was performed using the PubMed database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, applying the following keywords: “Early treatment Class II”, “1-phase orthodontics”, and “orthodontic timing Class II”. An initial selection identified 20 articles, whose full texts were retrieved and analyzed. Two independent reviewers assessed the studies and excluded two addition papers. The final sample consisted of 13 articles, mainly produced by four major research groups based in Manchester, North Carolina, Florida, and Queen Mary University of London. Results and conclusions: The analysis of the included studies indicates that both treatment approaches (single-phase and two-phase) are effective in managing Class II malocclusion. No clinically significant differences were found in the overall treatment outcomes between the two protocols. Both therapeutic protocols are effective for the correction of Class II malocclusion. Hower, early two-phase treatment appears to be associated with a lower incidence of incisor trauma compared to single-phase treatment.