Effectiveness of various interceptive treatments on palatally displaced canine-a systematic review

The aim of this systematic review was to assess whether interceptive treatment carried out in the mixed dentition period improves the position of Palatally Displaced Canines (PDC).

A systematic search was performed on various computerized databases. A hand search was also performed by reviewing the references within the examined studies and titles of the papers published over the last 30 years on various orthodontic journals.

This systematic review analysed eight articles, of which five were Randomized Clinical Trials (RCT) and three were prospective control studies. Qualitative assessment was done for all the eight studies. The effect of interceptive measures such as extraction of primary canine, Rapid Maxillary Expansion (RME), cervical pull headgear and Transpalatal Arch (TPA) on successful eruption of Palatally Displaced Canines was analyzed.

Interceptive treatment improves the position of PDC and reduces the chances of impaction. Significant changes in success rate depend on diagnosis at early mixed dentition stage. A combination of interceptive measures which includes extraction of primary canine, cervical pull headgear, TPA and RME aided in successful eruption. However, Randomized clinical trials with increased sample size, proper randomization comparing all the interceptive measures along with assessment of other factors such as patient satisfaction, pain experience and cost factor will yield more evidence based conclusions.