Survival of Bonded Space Maintainers: A Systematic Review

AIM: This systematic review was aimed at evaluating the average survival time and the various factors which determine the longevity of bonded space maintainers. BACKGROUND: Although a meta-analysis could not be performed from the available literature, this review emphasizes the various factors contributing to the success of bonded space maintainers and its relevance during the planning of bonded space maintainers. REVIEW RESULTS: The study selection criteria included in-vivo randomized and non-randomized clinical trials performed which was published in English. The databases searched were Pubmed, EBSCOhost and Google scholar, wherein the articles published from 1st January 1995 to 31st December 2015 were selected in the review. CONCLUSION: From the existing data, it can be concluded that the average survival period of bonded space maintainers is 11.2 months. However, there is a necessity for additional clinical trials with strict protocols to better the level of evidence. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: From the various articles included in the review, the longevity of bonded space maintainers was found to be comparable to the banded space maintainers. Hence, the bonded space maintainers can be a suitable alternative to the banded space maintainers in pediatric dentistry. How to cite this article: Deshpande SS, Bendgude VD, Kokkali VV. Survival of Bonded Space Maintainers: A Systematic Review Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2018;11(5):440-445.