EARLY ORTHODONTIC AND DENTOFACIAL ORTHOPAEDIC TREATMENT ACROSS THE DEVELOPING DENTITION: A SCOPING REVIEW OF TIMING, INTERVENTIONS, OUTCOMES, AND EVIDENCE GAPS

Aim: To map early orthodontic and dentofacial orthopaedic interventions initiated during the premixed, early mixed, and late mixed dentition within an evidence framework linking developmental timing, condition, intervention,treatment phase, and outcome domain. Materials and Methods: A matrix-based scoping review followed PRISMA-ScR and JBI guidance. PubMed and Scopus were searched from inception to 19 June 2026. Primary studies evaluating interventions initiated during the premixed, early mixed, or late mixed dentition were included. Data were charted by developmental stage, condition, intervention family, treatment phase, follow-up, and outcome domain. Risk of bias was assessed with design-appropriate tools, and bibliometric mapping used VOSviewer and Biblioshiny. Results: 489 publications were included. Most interventions began during the early mixed dentition (75.5%). Sagittal conditions predominated (49.9%), followed by transverse conditions (29.4%). Expansion, functional, and protraction appliances formed the largest evidence clusters. Dental/occlusal outcomes were reported in 71.4% of publications and skeletal outcomes in 50.3%, whereas stability/relapse (19.0%), functional outcomes (11.9%), patient-reported outcomes (8.6%), and harms (8.6%) were less frequently assessed (Fig.2). Companion/related-cohort publications accounted for 27.8%; 18 spanned Phase I and Phase II, and 15 reported follow-up of at least 10 years. Conclusions: Early orthodontic treatment should be regarded as a set of condition-specific opportunities rather than a universal phase of care. Its value depends on timing, mechanism, persistence of benefit, and whether patient-important gains justify treatment burden. Future research should prioritise independent, long-term, patient-centered studies and consensus-based core outcome development.