Craniofacial Bones and Teeth in Spacefarers: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Estimating the risk of dental problems in long-duration space missions to the Moon and Mars is critical for avoiding dental emergencies in an environment that does not support proper treatment. Previous risk estimates were constructed based on the experience in short-duration space missions and isolated environments on Earth. However, previous estimates did not account for potential changes in dental structures due to space travel, even though bone loss is a known problem for long-duration spaceflights. The objective of this study was to systematically analyze the changes in hard tissues of the craniofacial complex during spaceflights.
METHODS: Comprehensive search of Medline, Embase, Scopus, the NASA Technical Report Server, and other sources identified 1,585 potentially relevant studies. After screening, 32 articles that presented quantitative data for skull in humans (6/32) and for calvariae, mandible, and lower incisors in rats (20/32) and mice (6/32) were selected.
RESULTS: Skull bone mineral density showed a significant increase in spacefaring humans. In spacefaring rodents, calvariae bone volume to tissue volume (BV/TV) demonstrated a trend toward increasing that did not reach statistical significance, while in mandibles, there was a significant decrease in BV/TV. Dentin thickness and incisor volume of rodent incisors were not significantly different between spaceflight and ground controls.
DISCUSSION: Our study demonstrates significant knowledge gaps…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in animal, not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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