To investigate the feasibility, safety and stability of current interventions for moving teeth through the maxillary sinus (MTTMS) by performing a systematic review of the literature. The electronic databases PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, Web of Science, CBM, CNKI and SIGLE were searched without a language restriction. The primary outcomes were parameters related to orthodontic treatment, including orthodontic protocols, magnitude of forces, type of tooth movement, duration and rate of tooth movement, and remolding of alveolar bone and the maxillary sinus floor. The secondary outcomes were safety and stability, including root resorption, perforation of the sinus floor, loss of pulp vitality and periodontal health and relapse. Nine case reports with 25 teeth were included and systematically analyzed. Fifty to two hundred g of force was applied to move teeth through the maxillary sinus. Bodily movement was accomplished, but initial tipping was observed in 7 cases. The rate was 0.6–0.7 mm/month for molar intrusion and 0.16–1.17 and 0.05–0.16 mm/month for mesial-distal movement of premolars and molars, respectively. Bone formation and remolding of the sinus floor occurred in 7 cases. Root resorption within 6 to 30 months was observed in 3 cases, while no cases of perforation of the sinus floor, loss of pulp vitality, periodontal health impairment or relapse were reported. At the present stage, no evidence-based protocol could be recommended to guide MTTMS. The empirical application of constant and light to moderate forces (by TAD, segment and multibrackets) to slowly move teeth through or into the maxillary sinus in adults appears to be practical and secure. Bodily movement was accomplished, but teeth appear to be easily tipped initially, potentially resulting in root resorption. However, this conclusion should be interpreted with caution as the currently available evidence is based on only a few case reports or case series and longitudinal or controlled studies are lacking in this area.

The oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is affected by dentofacial deformity. Patients with dentofacial deformity are normally treated with orthognathic surgery, including conventional three-stage method (CTM) and surgery first approach (SFA). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the impact of SFA with CTM on the OHRQoL of patients with severe dentofacial deformity. Five English databases, three Chinese databases, and six grey literature databases were searched (January 2000 to July 2018). Randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, and cohort studies assessing the OHRQoL of patients who underwent SFA or CTM were included. After selecting studies, extracting data, and assessing risk-of-bias according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, meta-analysis was performed to elucidate the effects of SFA on the changes of OHRQoL of patients with dentofacial deformity at each stage and made a comparison with CTM. There were 4 studies with 122 participants were selected for the final analysis. Three among these studies were included in meta-analysis, 2 of which were included in each forest plot. All the included studies were graded as moderate value of evidence according to GRADE quality analysis. Over the period of 2-year follow-up after bonding, the OHRQoL of the patients in SFA group showed an improving trend and was better than those in CTM group generally. After debonding, the summary scores of the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) (− 2.92, P = 0.12) and Orthognathic Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ) (− 5.59, P = 0.01) were smaller in SFA group than CTM group. Clinical evidence indicates that SFA can contribute to the better OHRQoL in patients with dentofacial deformity immediately and persistently.

Bone diseases such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and bone tumor present a severe public health problem. Osteogenic differentiation is a complex process associated with the differentiation of different cells, which could regulate transcription factors, cytokines, many signaling pathways, noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), and epigenetic modulation. DNA methylation is a kind of stable epigenetic alterations in CpG islands without DNA sequence changes and is involved in cancer and other diseases, including bone development and homeostasis. ncRNAs can perform their crucial biological functions at the RNA level, and many findings have demonstrated essential functions of ncRNAs in osteogenic differentiation. In this review, we highlight current researches in DNA methylation of two relevant ncRNAs, including microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs, in the initiation and progression of osteogenesis and bone diseases.

Objective: To investigate the accuracy of panoramic radiography (PR) in diagnosing maxillary sinus-root relationships (SRRs). Materials and Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, CBM, Baidu Scholar, and SIGLE were searched. The studies comparing the diagnostic accuracy of PR and computed tomography/cone-beam computed tomography (CT/CBCT) for SRR were included. Results: Eleven studies were included. Meta-analyses showed that, for type I SRR, PR had the highest specificity, positive likelihood ratio (+LR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under the curve (AUC), with a high sensitivity and a low negative LR (−LR). For type IV, PR had a high DOR and AUC, with the highest sensitivity but a low +LR, the lowest –LR, and the lowest specificity. For type II, PR had the lowest AUC, with a low sensitivity, +LR, and DOR and a high −LR. For type III, PR had the lowest sensitivity, +LR, and DOR and the highest −LR. The distance from root tips to the maxillary sinus floor on PR was significantly longer (mean difference: −1.88 mm; 95% confidence interval: −2.19 to −1.57; P < .0001) than that on CT/CBCT. Conclusions: Currently available evidence suggests PR could be reliable for detecting type I SRR. PR has a good ability to confirm true type IV SRR but a poor ability to rule out false type IV SRR. For type II and III SRR, PR shows poor accuracy and tends to overestimate the extent of protrusion of the roots into the maxillary sinus. When PRs display type II, III, or IV SRR and related treatment is needed, CBCT should be used for further examinations.