The importance of awareness about the use of botulinum toxin in both therapeutic action and orofacial harmonization for dental surgeons

Abstract

One of the main factors that lead people to seek botulinum toxin (BT) is aesthetics, but it is known that it is also used to treat patients with temporomandibular dysfunction and bruxism, however, the harm and risks that this toxin in excess can do to the human body are still little addressed. Our goal is to promote awareness about the multiple applications of BT in the facial region and its health hazards and risks. Thus, to compose this review of narrative literature, searches were conducted between April and September for scientific material related to the importance of awareness about the use of BT in dentistry, through databases such as Pubmed and Google Scholar, with the indexers of the Virtual Health Library and LILACS, as well as leaflets of the toxin manufacturers. For the inclusion factors, we selected articles with the full text available that were related to the proposed theme, written in Portuguese or English, in consultation with the methodological bases, specifically in areas of human health of both sexes, with no classification between ages. We preferred studies published in the last 5 years, since there is a vast current literature on the subject that allows us to use more current sources, and to better understand the current effects of the use of BT. We consider type A BT an effective and safe therapeutic resource, and its use is coherent in the therapeutic approach of different diseases and aesthetic applications based on clinical evidence. However, it is necessary that dental surgeons have a deep knowledge about the application techniques and possible adverse reactions that may occur after the application, in order to act correctly in their interventions or even avoid them.