A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Oral Appliances Following Placement of Implant-supported Prostheses by the Japanese Society of Oral Implantology

Abstract

This systematic review examined the effectiveness of oral appliances after placement of fixed implant-supported prostheses using a multidimensional assessment scale. The literature databases included PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and medical journals, and original articles and systematic reviews published through March 2024 were included. The clinical question was “Is the use of an oral appliance effective after placement of a fixed implant-supported prosthesis?” and the outcomes were “minor damage and minor complication to the superstructure,” “loosening of screws,” or “major complications”. The 385 references extracted using the search formula were independently reviewed for literature eligibility by two individuals, and the final seven target references were determined. We attempted to determine the effectiveness of the treatment method by extracting evidence from the final target literature, assessing the risk of bias, and evaluating the evidence as a whole. We found that the use of an oral appliance may help reduce the incidence of minor complications. On the other hand, existing studies have not sufficiently adjusted for patient background factors, and it is strongly recommended that this issue be addressed by experimental clinical trials that take these factors into account.