Effectiveness of Elastic Therapeutic Tape in Reducing Edema, Pain and Trismus following Surgery for Facial Fractures: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Facial fractures cause postoperative morbidity, including edema, pain, and trismus. Elastic therapeutic tapes are used for optimizing recovery. Background: The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of elastic tape Kinesio taping (KT) in reducing postoperative morbidity in facial fractures surgeries. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Searches were conducted in the Cochrane, Medline, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science databases using a pre-established search strategy. Results: A total of 811 studies were retrieved after the duplicates were removed, and only randomized clinical trials were included. Eight trials, involving 319 participants, were deemed eligible. One study solely investigated the effect on edema, while the others analyzed at least two of the variables of interest. Results from two RCTs, where qualitative analysis was applicable, suggest a potential reduction in edema in the KT group compared to the control group on the second (RR -0.55, 95% CI -0.89 to -0.22; p = 0.01; I-2 = 0%) and third postoperative days (RR -0.71, 95% CI -1.01 to -0.40; p < 0.00001; I-2 = 0%). Conclusions: KT is effective in controlling postoperative edema following surgery for facial fractures. However, the effects on pain and trismus should be explored further in studies with standardized methods.