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Objective: To assess skeletal, dentoalveolar, and soft-tissue effects of fixed functional appliances (FFAs), alone or in combination with multibracket appliances (comprehensive treatment), on Class II malocclusion in postpubertal patients. Data Sources: Literature survey was conducted using the Medline, SCOPUS, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences, and Scientific Electronic Library Online databases and the Cochrane Library, and through a manual search. No restrictions were set regarding the type of fixed appliance, treatment length, or to the cephalometric analysis used. Data extraction was mostly predefined at the protocol stage by 2 authors. Study Selection: Only double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of Class II skeletal cases treated by any FFA that had assessed specific skeletal, dental, or soft-tissue parameters were included. Data Synthesis: A total of 8 articles qualified for the final analysis. The studies were composed of late-adolescent or adult patients who were at the end of their postpubertal growth period. This meta-analysis included data from 271 subjects (142 Class II patients and 129 untreated individuals) and 8 RCTs, which assessed linear as well as angular cephalometric changes induced by Class II treatment with FFAs. Conclusions: Based on the data available on postpubertal patients, it was concluded that the fixed functional treatment is effective in Class II malocclusion and shows changes in skeletal, dental, as well as soft tissue.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the four first premolars extraction compared with a non-extraction treated control group on the lower anterior facial height. Methods: Electronic search was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, Lilacs, Scielo, clinical trials, and opengrey.eu databases; only article published in English were included. The eligibility criteria were extraction of four first premolars compared with a non-extraction control group treated with fixed mechanotherapy. Anterior Nasal Spine to Menton (ANS-Me) (mm) was taken as the primary outcome; Frankfurt mandibular plane angle (FMA) and Nasion to Menton (N-Me) were selected as secondary outcomes. Non-randomized Studies-of Intervention (ROBINS-I) tool was used for the quality assessment and risk of bias. Heterogeneity was analyzed using statistical tests, including chi-squared-based Q-statistic, tau-square, and I-squared statistics. Review Manager was used for quantitative assessment and meta-analysis. Results: Five retrospective studies were included for quantitative assessment and three were included in the meta-analysis due to certain missing data. Extraction of four first premolars did not affect both primary and secondary outcomes with P = .65, P = .93, and P = .91, respectively, for ANS-Me, FMA, and N-Me. Conclusion: This review and meta-analysis concluded that there was no statistically significant effect of extraction of four first premolars on lower anterior facial height.

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Social media poses new dangers for many young aged dental patients having concern about their aesthetics. Growing up in a digital era where social media is part of our daily routine, everyone is just a click away from all the information be it a fact or myth in almost every domain. Persistently being exposed to highly idealized images, many adolescents try to achieve such standards by trying all sorts of treatments at home, including dental treatment. Dentists need to be aware of these important issues in order to help younger generation to avoid various dangers and to help safeguard their longer term dental health. This article aims to provide orthodontist about the dangers of spurious claims about 'do-it-yourself' dentistry, helping them avoid destructive or unstable treatments, especially those of the 'quick fix' variety during times of COVID-19.