Novel Approaches for Class II Malocclusion Treatment using Myofunctional Orthodontics Therapy: A Systematic Review

The aim of this review was to undertake a detailed analysis of the literature concerning the use of a prefabricated functional appliance for Class II malocclusion treatment. From June 2016 to May 2017, a comprehensive and systematic search was performed on the Medline (PubMed) and Google Scholar databases for works published since January 2002, using the following search terms: pre-orthodontic trainer; pre-orthodontic trainer appliance; class II malocclusion; class II malocclusion treatment; prefabricated functional appliance. A supplementary manual searching of other sources was also performed. Only scientific articles in the English language were considered for this review. The electronic and manual searches resulted in the identification of 71 articles. Based on the inclusion criteria, the full-text copies of 26 articles were selected for analysis. A specific analysis was then made of 15 articles that described the effects produced by using the appliance for the treatment of dentoskeletal Class II malocclusion and masticatory muscles disfunction. The Literature findings show that the prefabricated functional appliance enables the treatment of several problems associated with the development of Class II malocclusion. Although the therapy induces mainly dentoalveolar changes resulting in significant reduction of overjet, it also shows a positive influence on the masticatory and perioral musculature. The method was demonstrated to be effective to obtain significant Class II malocclusion correction.