Impacts of using orthodontic appliances on the quality of life of children and adolescents: systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Summary Background Although there are previous systematic reviews about the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) impact among children and adolescents after orthodontics treatment, there is no definition for the magnitude of these impacts during the therapy. Objective To systematically analyse the literature on changes in the quality of life of children and adolescents during orthodontic treatment. Limitations Almost all the studies included in this review are non-randomized clinical trials, which are susceptible to several biases that affect the certainty of evidence obtained, especially by confounding factors and the lack of a control group. Conclusions and implications Based on very low certainty of evidence, wearing appliances does not seem to have a significant negative impact during the first year of orthodontic treatment. However, the meta-analytic results suggest that functional limitations in the first 3 months of treatment can be slightly more critical for the impact on the oral health quality of life and consequent patient adherence to treatment. Funding This study was financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brazil (CAPES), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - Brazil (CNPq), and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais – Brazil (FAPEMIG). Registration CRD42021234407.