Impact of low-level laser therapy on the stability of orthodontic mini-implants: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Introduction Usage of orthodontic mini-implants (OMIs) as anchors has become an essential part of orthodontic treatment. [1,2] Although, occasional failures such as looseness of OMIs have been reported [3] Lately studies on low-level laser therapy (LLLT) showed its positive impact on stability of OMIs.[4,5] The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the impact of LLLT on the stability of OMIs. Aim Review the impact of low-level laser therapy on the stability of orthodontic mini-implants. Methods Electronic data base search was carried out according to PRISMA principles by two independent researchers. The following focused question was created using PICOS model: does low-level laser therapy has an effect on the stability of OMIs? PubMed, Research Gate, The Cochrane Library and Wiley Online Library were used to browse the literature with the following keywords: “Laser therapy”, “Orthodontic anchorage”, “Mini-implants”. Only observational studies published less than 5 years ago and written in English were included. To be included, subjects had to be humans, whose treatment required mini-implants as a direct anchorage device for distalization and the follow-up must have been up to 2 months at least. Studies which involved patients with previous orthodontic treatment were excluded. Statistical analysis was conducted with the Review Manager 5.4.1. A meta-analysis was performed by using Standartized mean difference and random effect. Heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using Cochran’s Q and I2 tests. Results After an initial search in electronic databases, 194 articles were displayed and after checking the titles for relevancy, 26 articles were selected. Lastly, after reading their abstracts and full-text analysis, 7 articles were included in systematic review. [6-12] Six studies were randomized controlled trials and one was quasi-experimental design study [9]. In total, fo[...].