Indications for the use of a lip bumper in the lower dental arch, with evaluation of its efficacy. Literature review

Introduction
A lip bumper, mentioned for the first time in the 1960s, is one of commonly available, simple appliances of modern orthodontics.

Aim
The aim of the study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature regarding indications for the use of a lower lip bumper, the evaluation of its efficacy in changing spatial dimensions of a dental arch and the risk of possible side effects.

Material and methods
Electronic PubMed and Scopus databases up to 2019 have been reviewed to search for studies involving treatment with lower lip bumpers. The inclusion criteria were as follows: publications in English, orthodontic treatment with a lower lip bumper, patients with mixed dentition. Case reports, abstracts, interviews, comments on articles, non-scientific articles, articles published in a language other than English and articles with a different subject matter from the subject of interest were excluded. The quality of these studies was assessed.

Results
In the analysis conducted, 97 publications with keywords of interest were identified. One researcher selected articles – 26 publications met applied criteria and were analysed. Based on the analysis, a lower lip bumper is an appliance providing significant support in orthodontic treatment. Its use may be an effective method of treatment of lack of space for crowded lower anterior teeth, and it should be considered in patients at the developmental age.

Summary
This review of literature confirms the possibility of obtaining an effective increase in spatial dimensions of a dental arch as a result of its use. Dental arch expansion (in long-term observations) shows a certain degree of recurrence; however, available study results allow us to evaluate the final outcomes and consider the solution of this orthodontic problem as satisfactory.