Relationship between temporomandibular disorders and orthodontic treatment: a literature review

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to review the most recent studies from the last 15 years, in search of clinical studies that report the relationship between TMD and orthodontic treatment and/or malocclusion. Our intention was to determine whether orthodontic treatment would increase the incidence of signs and symptoms of TMD, and whether orthodontic treatment would be recommended for treating or preventing signs and symptoms of TMD. METHODS: Literature reviews, editorials, letters to the editor, experimental studies in animals and short communications were excluded from this review. Were included only prospective, longitudinal, case-control or retrospective studies with a large sample and significant statistical analysis. Studies that dealt with craniofacial deformities and syndromes or orthognathic surgery treatment were also excluded, as well as those that reported only the association between malocclusion and TMD. RESULTS: There were 20 articles relating orthodontics to TMD according to the inclusion criteria. The studies that associated signs and symptoms of TMD to orthodontic treatment showed discrepant results. Some have found positive effects of orthodontic treatment on signs and symptoms of TMD, however, none showed a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: All studies cited in this literature review reported that orthodontic treatment did not provide risk to the development of signs and symptoms of TMD, regardless of the technique used for treatment, the extraction or non-extraction of premolars and the type of malocclusion previously presented by the patient. Some studies with long-term follow-up concluded that orthodontic treatment would not be preventive or a treatment option for TMD. OBJETIVO: revisar a literatura mais atual, dos últimos 15 anos, em busca de estudos clínicos que relatem a rela o entre a disfun o temporomandibular (DTM) e o tratamento ortod ntico e/ou a má oclus o. A inten o foi verificar se o tratamento ortod ntico aumentaria o aparecimento de sinais e sintomas de DTM, e se o tratamento ortod ntico seria um recurso para o tratamento ou preven o dos sinais e sintomas de DTM. MéTODOS: artigos dos tipos revis o de literatura, editorial, carta, estudo experimental em animais e comunica o foram excluídos dessa revis o. Foram incluídos artigos prospectivos, longitudinais, caso-controle ou retrospectivo com amostra maior, com relevante análise estatística. Estudos que abordassem deformidades e síndromes craniofaciais e tratamento por cirurgia ortognática também foram excluídos, bem como aqueles que relata