Effects of orthodontic treatment on masticatory muscles activity: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Context: A comprehensive meta-analysis was carried out to investigate the impact of orthodontics on masticatory muscles. Methods: A thorough search of various databases, including CNKI, Wan Fang, VIP, CBM, MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, was performed to identify relevant studies on patients undergoing orthodontics or functional corrections. Six case-control studies were finally included in this analysis, which specifically examined the effect of orthodontic treatment on masticatory muscle function. Results: The results revealed that the mean masticatory muscle voltage in patients treated with orthodontics was found to be higher after treatment compared to before treatment [odds ratio (OR)=1.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.57, 2.57), p = 0.002], which could potentially have an impact on masticatory muscle function, particularly in individuals with Class II Division 1 malocclusion. Conclusion: These findings contribute to our understanding of the effects of orthodontic interventions on masticatory muscles, further highlighting the importance of orthodontics in optimising masticatory function.