Functional orthopaedics in the treatment of pediatric patients: a comparison between orthodontic and odonthopediatric approaches

Abstract

Introduction: Pediatric orthodontics is dedicated to the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental irregularities in children. In addition, malocclusion is a public health problem that affects aesthetics, masticatory function and quality of life. In Brazil, this field is still underexplored. Objective: To analyze and compare concepts, methods and opinions about preventive treatment and functional orthopedics in pediatric patients, such as orthodontic appliances used and treatment techniques. Methodology: In the literature review, articles published in international and national journals, written in Portuguese and English, published in the last 5 years from 2020 to 2025, indexed in the databases: Pubmed, Scielo and Lilacs, were adopted as inclusion criteria. We excluded articles published more than ten years ago, not available in full or that fled the theoretical design. Results: Pediatric orthodontics, also known as preventive and interceptive orthodontics, is a vital field of dentistry that combines dentistry with orthodontics. Conclusion: It was not possible to make an effective comparison between the orthodontic and odonthopediatric approaches, since most studies on functional orthopedics in pediatric patients treat orthodontics as a specialization or extension of pediatric dentistry. Thus, future studies are needed that clearly distinguish both areas.