Orthodontic forces: insufficient evidence of their effect on the dental pulp

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This review of the effect of orthodontic forces on the dental pulp identified only a limited number of small studies none of which were of high quality. Consequently there is insufficient scientific evidence of the effect of orthodontic forces on the dental pulp.

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Orthodontic aligners: little evidence to assess their effectiveness

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The use of clear orthodontic aligners is increasing, despite searching a wide range of databases this review only identified a limited number of small studies. The quality of the studies was not sufficient to draw any evidence-based decisions on the effectiveness of orthodontic aligners so better quality studies are needed.

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Plaque control during orthodontic treatment: study suggests that text messaging may have a positive effect

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This small study in orthodontic patients suggests that text messaging might improve plaque control in short term. Larger better quality studies are needed to provide more definitive answers.

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Fixed functional appliances for treatment of skeletal class II malocclusion

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This review of fixed functional appliances for the treatment of class II malocclusions could only find 11 small studies with methodological problems to assess the effectiveness of this approach. Some benefit was noted but larger higher quality studies are needed.

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Malocclusion: review finds that it has an adverse effect on quality of life

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Following on from a review we looked at earlier in the week about the impact of orthodontic treatment on quality of life we look at a review considering whether malocclusion affects quality of life. 6 studies were included and malocclusion was considered to have a negative impact.

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Orthodontic research is currently using a narrow range of outcome domains

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This new review looked a 6 main outcome domains in orthodontic research and found that 3 domains (quality of life, health service resource utilization, and adverse effects of treatment.) that could provide useful insight were infrequently evaluated.

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Orthodontic treatment: Does it improve quality of life for patients?

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Orthodontic treatment is considered to have an impact on an individuals quality of life. This review focuses on the studies using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 as a measurement tool. A small number of studies were included in a meta-analysis which identified significant improvement in the OHIP-14 scores.

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Orthodontic treatment for crowding: review found similar results with early and late extractions

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This new review looks at early or late premolar extraction for the orthodontic treatment of severe crowding. However, only seven retrospective studies are available so it is difficult to assess which protocol is more effective.

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Orthodontic treatment; can it be accelerated by surgical and non-surgical approaches?

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With typical orthodontic treatment taking 18-24 months there is pressure to reduce the time it takes. This review considers a range of potential options but there is limited quality evidence for most of the techniques identified.

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