SynthesisOrthodontics & craniofacial research2025
Are Orthodontic Interventions Associated With Headaches in Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Orthodontics & craniofacial research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the prevalence of headaches in children and adolescents during and after completing orthodontic treatment. This systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines. An extensive literature search was conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane from inception until December 20, 2024. Studies targeting individuals between 7 and 18 years old, diagnosed with malocclusions, and receiving orthodontic treatment were included. A meta-analysis (odds ratio) was performed considering the number of individuals with and without headache, who did and did not undergo orthodontic treatment. The quality of studies was assessed using the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool. Finally, the overall certainty of the evidence was assessed by the GRADE approach. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria with a pooled sample size of 1.141 individuals. No statistically significant difference in the prevalence of headache was found between children who received orthodontic intervention compared to no treatment (OR 1.22 [CI 0.78; 1.92]; p = 0.38). Children with malocclusion who were treated orthodontically had significantly fewer headaches after treatment compared to untreated children with class II malocclusion (OR 0.42 [CI 0.19; 0.92]; p = 0.03). All studies had a high risk of bias, and the certainty of evidence was very low. In summary, no increased prevalence of headaches was detected during or after orthodontic interventions in children and adolescents with malocclusions when compared to those who did not receive orthodontic treatment. Instead, children with malocclusion treated orthodontically had significantly fewer headaches after treatment compared to untreated children with malocclusion. Further research is needed, as the conduct and quality of the existing studies need substantial improvement. Trial Registration: CRD42022340817 (PROSPERO).
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.