Is there any correlation between otitis media and dental malocclusion in children? A systematic review

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate whether there is a correlation between otitis and dental malocclusions.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched for observational studies published until July 2021 without language or time restrictions.

Prospero: CRD42021270760. Observational studies on children with and without OM and/or malocclusion were included. After removing duplicates and excluding not-eligible articles, two reviewers screened relevant articles independently. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed data quality and validity through the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) quality assessment tool for non-randomized studies.

Results: Five studies met the selection inclusion criteria and were included in the studies for a total of 499 patients. Three studies investigated the relationship between malocclusion and otitis media, while the remaining two studies analyzed the inverse relationship and one of them considered eustachian tube dysfunction as a proxy of OM. An association between malocclusion and otitis media and vice versa emerged, although with relevant limitations.

Conclusion: There is some evidence that there is an association between otitis and malocclusion; however, it is not yet possible to establish a definitive correlation.