A comparison of treatment effectiveness between clear aligner and fixed appliance therapies
Abstract
Background
Align technology has developed
greatly over past few years. Patients tended to prefer clear aligners
over conventional brackets because of the superior comfort and
esthetics, while the effectiveness of clear aligners was still
controversial. The aim of this systematic review was to verify whether
the treatment effectiveness of clear aligners was similar to the
conventional fixed appliances.
Methods
A comprehensive search of the
Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of
Controlled Clinical Trials Register databases for studies published
through to August 20, 2018 was conducted. Comparative clinical studies
assessing the effectiveness of clear aligners compared with braces were
included.
Results
Eight papers were included in
this study. Two of the included papers were randomized controlled trials
and six were cohort studies. Clear aligners might not be as effective
as braces in producing adequate occlusal contacts, controlling teeth
torque, increasing transverse width and retention. While no
statistically significant difference was found between two groups in
Objective Grading System score (WMD = 8.38, 95% CI [− 0.17, 16.93]; P = 0.05).
On the other hand, patients treated with clear aligners had a
statistically significant shorter treatment duration than with braces
(WMD = − 6.31, 95% CI [− 8.37, − 4.24]; P < 0.001).
Conclusion
Both clear aligners and braces
were effective in treating malocclusion. Clear aligners had advantage
in segmented movement of teeth and shortened treatment duration, but
were not as effective as braces in producing adequate occlusal contacts,
controlling teeth torque, and retention.
Comments