Orthodontic treatment: does it impact on quality of life?

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A 3-year school-based cohort study found that oral health related quality of life improved in young people over time whether or not they had undergone orthodontic treatment.

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Mouthwashes and plaque control in orthodontic patients

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This review of mouthwash use in patients having fixed banded orthodontic treatment included 15 small studies and suggests that they reduce plaque levels. However the clinical relevance of the findings are uncertain and larger well conducted studies are needed.

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Digital dental models compare favourably with plaster models

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This review compared the accuracy of digital dental models with original plaster models. 16 studies were included and they concluded that digital models were and acceptable alternative to traditional plaster models.

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Hypodontia: prevalence about 6% overall and higher in females

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This review of observational studies identified 93 studies and estimates overall prevalence of hypodontia at 6.4% (95%CI; 5.7 to 7.2%) . Prevalence was higher in females and varies across continents.

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Distraction osteogenesis: little evidence available of effectiveness in maxillary hypoplasia in cleft lip and palate patients

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This review only found 1 study reported in 5 articles at high risk of bias that compared distraction osteogenesis to conventional orthognathic surgery for the treatment of maxillary hypoplasia in cleft lip and palate patients. More high quality trials are needed.

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Oral hygiene: professional cleaning and motivation helped during orthodontic treatment

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Eight RCTs were summarised in this review suggesting that regular patient motivation sessions and cleaning by a hygienist helped maintain good oral hygiene. No quantitative summaries was conducted so the magnitude of the benefit is unclear.

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Orthodontic retention: trial finds no difference between three methods at 5 years

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The paper reports the finding of a small trial of three type of orthodontic retention 5 years or more post retention and finds no difference. Previously the authors reported their findings after two years of retention again showing no differences.

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Periodontal health: improved during clear aligner treatment suggests review

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This review looks at one potential side effect of clear aligner treatment, periodontal health. However only 5 small studies of limited quality are available. All of the included studies found that periodontal health improved however because of the limited evidence available the findings should be interpreted with caution.

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Functional orthodontic appliances: effective in short-term suggests review

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This review of functional orthodontic appliances included 10 CCTs and 7 RCTs and found they produced short-term improvements in class II malocclusion. This needs to be considered with a recent Cochrane review of early treatment for children with class II malocclusion that found that it was more effective in reducing the incidence of incisal trauma than providing one course of orthodontic treatment in early adolescence.

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