Effectiveness of orofacial myofunctional therapy in orthodontic patients: a systematic review.

Márcio Alexandre Homem,Raquel Gonçalves Vieira-Andrade,Saulo Gabriel Moreira Falci,Maria Letícia Ramos-Jorge,Leandro Silva Marques

doi:10.1590/2176-9451.19.4.094-099.oar

Márcio Alexandre Homem, Raquel Gonçalves Vieira-Andrade + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/2176-9451.19.4.094-099.oar

Copy DOI

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of the present systematic review was to determine the existence of scientific evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) as an adjuvant to orthodontic treatment in individuals with orofacial disorders. A further aim was to assess the methodological quality of the studies included in the review.MethodsAn electronic search was performed in eight databases (Medline, BBO, LILACS, Web of Science, EMBASE, BIREME, Cochrane Library and SciELO) for papers published between January 1965 and March 2011, with no language restrictions. Selection of articles and data extraction were performed by two independent researchers. The quality of the selected articles was also assessed.ResultsSearch strategy resulted in the retrieval of 355 publications, only four of which fulfilled the eligibility criteria and qualified for final analysis. All papers selected had a high risk of bias.ConclusionsThe findings of the present systematic review demonstrate the scarcity of consistent studies and scientific evidence supporting the use of OMT in combination with orthodontic treatment to achieve better results in the correction of dentofacial disorders in individuals with orofacial abnormalities.

Highlights

Longitudinal studies and randomized and/or controlled clinical trials that evaluated the effectiveness of Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) combined with orthodontic treatment in healthy patients with dentofacial deformities were included in the review
Type of intervention Orthodontic treatment combined with OMT in patients with malocclusions and/or deficiencies in the vertical, sagittal and transverse directions and/or orofacial dyskinesia
While the studies selected indicated the efficacy of OMT in the correction of dentofacial disorders when combined with orthodontic treatment, the scarcity of consistent studies underscores the lack of scientific evidence on the actual effectiveness of OMT as a complement to orthodontic treatment

Summary

Introduction

Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) techniques and principles can be used either alone or in combination with other forms of therapy.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7] In combination with Orthodontics, OMT has been reported to be effective in the treatment of myofunctional disorders.[2,5,6,7,8,9,10,11] According to a number of studies, this combination leads to improvements in myofunctional capacity, allows satisfactory growth and development of the maxilla and assists in the adaptation of dentition to the new occlusal pattern.[8,12,13] a critical literature analysis reveals that most studies on this topic have striking methodological differences, heterogeneous samples and a lack of representativity.[3]. OMT generally involves exercising the facial and cervical muscles to improve proprioception, tone and mobility.[1,14,15,16,17,18] The main objectives are the treatment of disorders of the stomatognathic system, such as orofacial abnormalities, mouth-breathing pattern, lip incompetence, tongue thrust habit, mandibular deviation and improper joint patterns during speech; chewing and swallowing, as well as assistance in the correction of parafunctional oral habits, such as thumb-sucking and bruxism.[1,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24] In some cases, OMT may assist in improving body posture, thereby contributing to overall health.[1,14,15,16,17,18]

Methods

Results

Conclusion