Incidence of orthodontic brackets detachment during orthodontic treatment: A systematic review

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence of orthodontic brackets detachment during orthodontic treatment.

Methods: Using electronic databases; eligible studies up to January 2018 were retrieved, independently reviewed, and screened. The Coleman Methodology Scoring System (CMS) and Cochrane Collaboration’s tool were used to assess quality and risk of bias in the included studies.

Results: Of the seventeen studies included in the final synthesis, thirteen were categorized as randomized clinical trials (RCTs), one prospective cohort and retrospective survey each, whereas two studies could not be categorized. The number of patients in the selected studies ranged between 19 and 153; the mean age was between 10.5 to 38.7 years, and male to female ratio was 353:495. Almost all studies had a high risk of bias, and more than half of the studies had CMS score of 70 or above. The numbers of brackets examined in the studies ranged between 361 and 3336. The incidence of brackets detachment ranged from 0.6 to 28.3%.

Conclusions: The incidence of brackets detachment during orthodontic treatment is high.