Contribution of Masticatory Muscle Pattern in Craniofacial Morphology: A Systematic Review

Context: The objective of this systematic review is to analyze the pattern of masticatory muscle and its effects on craniofacial structures. Method: Electronic search was conducted for relevant studies in last 20 years (from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2021) on the following databases: PubMed, Google scholar, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Wiley Library database. Hand searching of selected orthodontic journals was also undertaken. The selected studies were assessed for the risk of bias in Cochrane collaboration risk of bias tool. The “traffic plot” and “weighted plot” risk of bias distribution are designed in the RoB 2 tool. Two authors extracted the data which was then analyzed by another reviewer to obtain the final data. Results: Six studies fulfilled inclusion criteria. The risk of bias was high for all the studies. The sample size of the studies, methodologies used, muscles under study, parameters of muscles, and statistical analysis performed were extracted. The methodologies and results of the studies were found to be heterogenous. Conclusions: It is found that the vertical craniofacial dimensions can be better appreciated by masseter than by medial pterygoid. The volume of masseter is superior predictor than its cross-sectional area. The volume of the medial pterygoid affects the ramus of the mandible and the length and width of the lateral pterygoid are significantly correlated with transverse skeletal dimensions.