Affiliations 

  • 1 School of Dentistry, International Medical University, No.126, Jalan Jalil Perkasa 19, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. sivakumar@imu.edu.my
  • 2 Faculty of Dentistry, SEGi University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Developmental Dentistry, University of Texas Health School of Dentistry, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
  • 4 Department of Dentistry, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, India
BMC Oral Health, 2021 08 11;21(1):395.
PMID: 34380483 DOI: 10.1186/s12903-021-01755-1

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Arch length preservation strategies utilize leeway space or E-space in the mixed dentition to resolve mild to moderate mandibular incisor crowding. The purpose of this systematic review of the literature was to analyze the effects of arch length preservation strategies in on mandibular second permanent molar eruption.

METHODS: A search for relevant articles published from inception until May 2020 was performed using PubMed/Medline, Cochrane databases, Clinicaltrials.gov, Google scholar and journal databases. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were adopted for the conduct of the systematic review. Using RevMan 5.3 software, the most pertinent data were extracted and pooled for quantitative analysis with 95% confidence intervals. Heterogeneity was analyzed by using Cochran Q test and I squared statistics.

RESULTS: A total of 5 studies involving 855 mixed dentition patients with arch length preservation therapy were included in the qualitative analysis. Pooled estimate of the data from two studies revealed 3.14 times higher odds of developing mandibular second molar eruption difficulty due to arch length preservation strategies using lingual holding arch (95% CI; OR 1.10-8.92). There was no heterogeneity found in the analysis. The certainty levels were graded as very low.

CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review demonstrates that arch length preservation strategies pose a risk for development of mandibular second molar eruption disturbances, but the evidence was of very low quality. Registration number: CRD42019116643.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.