School of Podiatric Medicine - Student Research

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

Summer 7-26-2025

Abstract

Introduction: Ingrown toenails are one of the most common nail conditions and are usually treated with chemical matricectomy using phenol (CMP). However, this procedure is often contraindicated in patients with diabetes mellitus or peripheral vascular disease. Orthonyxia, or nail braces application, is a non-invasive alternative treatment for ingrown toenails. The nail braces are spring wires with one side shaped into a hook that is placed under one side of the nail, and the other side attached to a plastic pad that is glued to the nail plate. The braces retain the normal shape of the nails without removing them, allowing the patient to conduct their daily activities after treatment with lower risk of infection. In this scoping review, we report the recurrence rates of CMP and nail braces application.

Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar databases were queried using the search terms 'toe AND recurrence AND phenol matricectomy OR matrixectomy –onychomycosis –children', ‘nail braces ingrown toenail recurrence –onychomycosis –children', ‘((((toe) AND (recurrence)) AND ((matricectomy) OR (matrixectomy)))) NOT (onychomycosis)’, and ‘(((nail braces) AND (ingrown toenail)) AND (recurrence)) NOT (onychomycosis)’. We included studies from 2010 to 2025 with a follow-up time of at least 6 months. From the initial search of 344, 6 articles were included in the final analysis.

Results: There were a total of 1522 patients, of which 1185 received CMP and 337 received nail braces, with a recurrence rate of 1.60-3.00% and 7.40-10.30%, respectively.

Discussion: CMP has a lower recurrence rate than nail braces. However, nail braces might be a better option for patients with peripheral vascular diseases or the need of returning to work immediately. Prospective studies are needed to determine the efficacy and recurrence rate of nail braces with longer treatment period.

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