October 2018

Numerous treatment modalities have been developed to expedite orthodontic treatment time, which improves patient compliance and reduces the likelihood of complications. Corticotomy-assisted orthodontia (CAO) is one procedure that was reported to be highly promising. An electronic search of PubMed and Embase in addition to a search of peer- reviewed journals up to December 1st, 2016 was performed. A systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Quantitative assessment was performed on the articles that fell within the inclusion criteria. Eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Weighted mean differences (WMD) of the amount of canine movement (mm) were calculated between the CAO group (test) and the conventional orthodontic group (control) at different follow-up periods. The WMD of canine movement after 2 weeks was 0.58 mm, and after 1 month was 0.83 mm. In longer follow-ups, the WMD after 2 months was 1.17 mm, and after 3 months was 1.61 mm. Results comparing the test and control groups in all time periods favored the CAO groups for complete canine retraction. No signifi cant adverse effects on the periodontium were reported at any of the treatment phases. CAO facilitates complete maxillary canine distalization up to 3 months, and can reduce the overall treatment time by 50%.