Limited evidence for interceptive extraction of deciduous teeth to prevent permanent canine impaction.
The Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline and Embase databases were searched with no restrictions regarding language or date of publication. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs with at least a 6-month follow-up period after the intervention were included. Data extraction was undertaken independently by two review authors. The primary outcome was the reported prevalence of eruption or non-eruption of the ectopic permanent canine into the mouth following observation or intervention. Results were to be expressed as risk ratios for dichotomous outcomes with 95% confidence intervals and mean differences for continuous outcomes. Heterogeneity was to be investigated, including both clinical and methodological factors. Authors of trials were contacted to request unpublished data. Two trials (involving approximately 128 children, ≥150 palatally displaced canines) excluded from the previous version of this review were included. Both trials had serious deficiencies in their design, conduct and reporting, with the data presented being either incomplete or inconsistent. Both trials are at high risk of bias. Neither trial provides any evidence to guide clinical decision-making. There is currently no evidence of the effects of extraction of primary canine teeth in 10-13-year-old children with one or two palatally displaced permanent canine teeth.