Effect of protraction facemask on the temporomandibular joint: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the influence of protraction facemask (PFM) on temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of skeletal Class III malocclusion patients. METHOD: Literature searches were carried out electronically in five English and three Chinese databases (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE (via Ovid), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and VIP Database). The date of the most recent search was 22 March 2017. Randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, cohort studies, and before-after studies comparing the effect of PFM and other treatments on TMJ were included. The data were collected and extracted by three authors. The risk of bias in the RCTs was assessed in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. For the nonrandomized studies, the risk of bias was judged with Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RESULTS: For the 261 articles identified, 13 studies with 522 participants were included for the final qualitative analysis. Three studies were graded as high value of evidence, while seven studies and the other three studies were graded as moderate value and low value respectively. According to the available evidence, PFM contributed to the significant increase of CondAx-SBL and the significant decrease of CondAx-ML. Thin-plate spline (TPS) analysis showed a horizontal compression in condyles. Condyles tended to move superiorly and posteriorly. Concerning the occurrence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD), PFM was not involved in aggravating TMJ symptoms and signs. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical evidence suggests that PFM might contribute to the morphologic adaptation of TMJs and displacement of condyles, and PFM may well be not a risk factor for the development of TMD. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12903-018-0503-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.