DENTAL SPACE MAINTAINERS: A BRIEF REVIEW.

Background:- In Brazil, found defects in primary teeth between the ages of 7 to 15 a prevalence of 6%. In another survey, 119,000 school children examined, an index of 51% of malocclusions was found, and in 80% of these, it would be one preventive orthodontic treatment guidance. Objective:- To explore the literature findings on the importance of knowing the advances in orthodontics, as well as introduce the types of existing space maintainers and the importance of its use for rehabilitation in functional, aesthetic and psychological patient. Methods:- To identify the studies in this review, a detailed search strategy was conducted for Medline (Pubmed), Scielo and Bireme in the years 1997-2016, as well as books and magazines related to the topic. Brief review:- The space maintenance is one of the most important activities in the prevention of malocclusions. The purpose of the primary dentition is to keep the arch perimeter so that the successors erupt normally, hence great importance should be given to the loss of teeth at this stage. However, attention should be given to the loss also of young permanent teeth. Conclusion:- The selection and use of space maintainers must be made with the view apparatus having the highest possible number of desirable requirements to achieve significant results.