Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

762 questions · 830 findings · 43 reviews · Orthodontics

No studies found 186 · 22.4%GRADE not reported 410 · 49.4%Very low 122 · 14.7%Low 79 · 9.5%Moderate 30 · 3.6%High 3 · 0.4%

Part-time clear plastic (removable) retainer vs Any type of fixed (bonded) retainer

Survival of retainers (failure, lower arch) · People who had received fixed appliance orthodontic treatment

It is very uncertain whether part-time clear plastic (removable) retainer changes survival of retainers (failure, lower arch) compared with any type of fixed (bonded) retainer (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Low‐level laser therapy vs Conventional orthodontic appliance treatment

Discomfort/pain · Adolescents and adults with malocclusion undergoing fixed orthodontic appliance treatment

It is very uncertain whether low level laser therapy (LLLT) changes patient perception of pain and discomfort (VAS 0 to 100 mm) compared with conventional orthodontic appliance treatment (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Hawley removable retainer vs Clear plastic removable retainer

Stability: Little's Irregularity Index (lower arch) · People who had received fixed appliance orthodontic treatment

It is very uncertain whether hawley removable retainer changes stability: Little's Irregularity Index (lower arch) compared with clear plastic removable retainer (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Low‐level laser therapy vs Conventional orthodontic appliance treatment

Duration of orthodontic treatment during alignment stage · Adolescents and adults with malocclusion undergoing fixed orthodontic appliance treatment

It is very uncertain whether low level laser therapy (LLLT) changes duration of orthodontic treatment during alignment stage compared with conventional orthodontic appliance treatment (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Upper clear plastic retainer + lower fixed canine-to-canine retainer vs Positioner

Stability: Little's Irregularity Index (lower arch) · People who had received fixed appliance orthodontic treatment

Upper clear plastic retainer + lower fixed canine-to-canine retainer led to lower stability: Little's Irregularity Index (lower arch) compared with positioner; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Fluoride mouthwash vs Blank control

Gingival inflammation-related index · Orthodontic patients (any age) undergoing orthodontic treatment (mostly fixed appliances)

Short-term fluoride mouthwash has uncertain effects on gingival inflammation-related indexes versus blank control (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Light vibrational forces (LVF) vs Conventional orthodontic appliance treatment

Harms (orthodontically-induced inflammatory root resorption) · Adolescents and adults with malocclusion undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed or removable appliances

Light vibrational forces (LVF) showed no clear difference in harms and side effects: orthodontically-induced inflammatory root… compared with conventional orthodontic appliance treatment (placebo or no adjunct) (low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Fluoride mouthwash vs Blank control

Plaque · People undergoing orthodontic treatment (any age; 9 to 34 years in included studies)

Long-term fluoride mouthwash showed mixed plaque-index effects, with very low-certainty evidence.

2 findings from 1 review

Fibre-reinforced composite fixed (bonded) retainer vs Multistrand / spiral wire fixed (bonded) retainer

Adverse effects on oral health: bleeding on probing (lower arch) · People who had received fixed appliance orthodontic treatment

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Hawley removable retainer vs Clear plastic removable retainer

Survival of retainers (failure/how many failed) · People who had received fixed appliance orthodontic treatment

It is very uncertain whether hawley removable retainer changes survival of retainers (failure, upper and lower arches) compared with clear plastic removable retainer (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Hawley removable retainer vs Clear plastic removable retainer

Patient satisfaction: comfort (VAS, upper and lower arches) · People who had received fixed appliance orthodontic treatment

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Low‐level laser therapy vs Conventional orthodontic appliance treatment

Patient-reported need for analgesics · Adolescents and adults with malocclusion undergoing fixed orthodontic appliance treatment

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Low‐level laser therapy vs Conventional orthodontic appliance treatment

Total number of orthodontic appliance adjustment appointments during treatment · Adolescents and adults with malocclusion undergoing fixed orthodontic appliance treatment

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Fluoride mouthwash vs Blank control

Cariogenic bacteria (Lactobacilli colony count) · Orthodontic patients (any age) undergoing orthodontic treatment (mostly fixed appliances)

Long-term (>=12 months) fluoride mouthwash may make little or no difference to Lactobacilli colony counts versus blank control (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Upper fixed (bonded) retainer vs No retention

Stability: Little's Irregularity Index (upper arch) · People who had received fixed appliance orthodontic treatment

Upper fixed (bonded) retainer led to lower stability: Little's Irregularity Index (upper arch) compared with no retention; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Fluoride varnish vs Placebo varnish, resin sealant, or standard care (oral hygiene instructions)

Prevalence of white spot lesions (WSL) at debonding, subject level · Healthy adolescents and adults undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed multi-bracket appliances

Fluoride varnish applied regularly during fixed orthodontic treatment may reduce the prevalence of white spot lesions at debonding (pooled RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.98), but the certainty of evidence is very low.

1 finding from 1 review

Low‐level laser therapy vs Conventional orthodontic appliance treatment

Overall treatment time wearing orthodontic appliances · Adolescents and adults with malocclusion undergoing fixed orthodontic appliance treatment

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Conventional orthodontic appliance treatment

Severity of white spot lesions (surface area and depth) · Orthodontic patients undergoing comprehensive treatment (late mixed or permanent dentition, no active caries)

White spot lesion severity was assessed narratively in a small number of studies and not meta-analyzed; evidence is limited (ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review