Subperiosteal anchorage in orthodontics : A narrative review

Orthodontic anchorage is a necessity for every treatment and must be carefully evaluated by the orthodontist. It is defined as the resistance to unwanted dental movement of a tooth or a number of teeth by using different techniques. The purpose of the present paper is to highlight the subperiosteal anchorage applied to orthodontics; this technique has been debated in the literature and the purpose here is to summarize the fields of application. During the first check of previous literature 548 results were found, which have been reduced to 19 selected papers after application of the inclusion criteria and the elimination of duplicates. Multiple electronic databases were searched from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2020 in order to identify papers eligible for current review. The data obtained by this review underlined the versatility of onplants used as absolute anchorage during orthodontic treatments, the advantages and disadvantages, the biomechanical properties and survival rates, and the clinical procedure. Further clinical studies and research are required to explore other kinds of application and to state specific guidelines; however, this study represents an update and a starting point for clinicians who want to use these devices and for further improvement of the technique.