SynthesisInternational dental journal2026
Effect of Micro-Osteoperforations on Orthodontic Tooth Movement: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in International dental journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWhile micro-osteoperforations (MOPs) have been proposed as a potential solution for the slow pace of orthodontic treatment, their effectiveness is widely debated. This meta-analysis was designed to assess whether MOPs are a clinically effective and safe tool, and to explore how they might be best applied.
methodsBased on the protocol registered prospectively in PROSPERO (CRD42025633088), a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane CENTRAL and key grey literature. Randomized controlled trials were synthesized using random-effects meta-analysis; extensive subgroup and meta-regression analyses were conducted to explore heterogeneity. The certainty of evidences was rated with the GRADE framework.
resultsThirty-nine trials encompassing 1025 participants suggested a substantial acceleratory effect (SMD = 1.66; 95% CI: 1.27-2.05). Meta-regression suggested that the standardized effect may decrease with longer follow-up (β = -0.168 SMD units per week) and protocols that repeated MOPs approximately every 4 weeks were associated with ∼0.54 mm of cumulative movement (study-level association). In metric-specific analyses, MOPs appeared to improve anterior alignment measured by Little's Irregularity Index by 1.24 mm during the first month with no statistical heterogeneity (I² = 0%). No clear evidence of increased root resorption or clinically important periodontal deterioration was observed. Pain was minimal overall, though it was associated with the number of perforations performed.
conclusionModerate-certainty of evidence suggests that a protocol-driven approach-specifically, repeating a trio of shallow buccal perforations every 4 weeks is associated with accelerated tooth movement. However, substantial heterogeneity warrants cautious interpretation of the precise magnitude of this effect.
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