Does planned molar intrusion with aligners assist with closure of anterior open bite?

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine whether prescribed molar intrusion, with or without virtual occlusal bite-blocks (BB), resulted in actual molar intrusion and assisted with anterior open bite (AOB) correction in adult patients treated with Invisalign clear aligners (Align Technology, Santa Clara, Calif). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with 36 adult patients with AOB. Subjects were divided into 2 treatment groups: planned molar intrusion (PMI) and no-PMI (No-PMI). PMI was obtained from the tooth movement tables in the ClinCheck software. Patients with PMI were further categorized by the presence or absence of virtual posterior BB (PMI-BB and PMI-No BB, respectively). Treatment success was determined on the basis of positive vertical incisor overlap in posttreatment cephalograms. Treatment changes were assessed using pretreatment and posttreatment cephalometric radiographs (Welch 2-sample t test, 95% confidence interval, P = 0.05). Finally, treatment stability was assessed at least 1-year posttreatment using the Photographic Open Bite Severity Index (POSI). RESULTS: There were 15 patients with No-PMI and 21 without PMI (total n = 36). The mean overbite change was 2.5 ± 1.0 mm for No-PMI and 3.2 ± 1.8 mm for patients with PMI (P = 0.12). All patients had positive vertical incisor overlap in posttreatment cephalograms, indicating 100% treatment success. Open bites were corrected primarily by incisor retroclination and extrusion in both treatment groups. The average measured molar intrusion for the PMI group was 0.71 mm greater than the change for the No-PMI group, but the difference was not statistically significant after controlling for potentially confounding variables (P = 0.074). A total of 14 patients from the original sample were assessed for stability using the POSI analysis. Of those, 12 (85.7%) had a POSI score of 0. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of whether the molar intrusion was planned or not, the modality of AOB correction with Invisalign clear aligners was primarily incisor extrusion and retroclination. Overall, aligners are an effective appliance for the treatment of adult AOB. Based on our limited sample, treatment stability was similar to that reported for fixed appliances.

A comparison of skeletal and dental changes in patients with a Class II relationship treated with clear aligner mandibular advancement and Herbst appliance followed by comprehensive orthodontic treatment.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to compare the skeletal and dental changes of patients with a Class II relationship treated with clear aligner mandibular advancement (MA) and Herbst appliances followed by comprehensive orthodontic treatment. METHODS: The participants included 20 patients treated with MA and 20 with the Herbst appliance. Orthodontic records were taken before treatment, after the functional appliance, and completion of phase II treatment. The skeletal and dental changes across the 3-time periods were evaluated using a matched paired t test for each treatment. A 2-sample t test was used to examine the changes across periods between 2 treatment groups (P <0.05). RESULTS: Significant reduction in overjet, overbite, and change in molar relationship were obtained by both appliances with similar skeletal and dental contributions. This was contributed by a forward movement of the mandible and mandibular molars, backward movement of the maxillary molars, and retraction of the maxillary incisors. After phase II treatment, both appliances could maintain the skeletal and dental changes achieved during the advancement phase. Greater change in overbite (2.4 mm vs 1.4 mm), an eruption of maxillary incisors (0.9 mm vs 0.1 mm), and proclination of mandibular incisors were found with the Herbst group (3.9° vs -2.1°). The average total treatment time was similar with the 2 appliances. CONCLUSIONS: Both functional appliances were equally effective in reducing the overjet and overbite and achieving a Class I molar relationship with a similar length of treatment time. The Herbst design lacked control of the mandibular incisor proclination, and clear aligners offered better vertical control and management of the mandibular incisor inclination.

Caries detection and characterization in pediatric patients using iTero 5D near-infrared technology.

INTRODUCTION: Near-infrared imaging (NIRI) has been proposed as an alternative to radiographs and uses nonionizing radiation in the near-infrared spectrum to differentially scatter light off tooth surfaces and generate images allowing interproximal caries detection. The new iTero 5D Element Scanner (Align Technology, Santa Clara, Calif) has integrated NIRI capture and viewing technology but has not been specifically studied in a pediatric population. Therefore, this study aimed to assess clinicians' abilities to detect and characterize caries in pediatric patients using this instrument. METHODS: Bitewing (BW) radiographs and an intraoral scan were captured on 17 pediatric patients (344 surfaces were analyzed). Data were randomized and graded by 5 calibrated clinicians individually with 2 different rounds of grading. RESULTS: The reliability of lesion characterization (ie, grade) among examiners was poor to fair in both systems, whereas the reliability of caries detection was moderate. Both systems had a high specificity and low sensitivity. The reliability of the characterization of the combined dataset was moderate to substantial, whereas, for detection, it was substantial. CONCLUSIONS: When using either BW or NIRI analysis, reliability is relatively poor, and clinicians are more likely to correctly identify a healthy tooth surface when compared with a carious surface. There is a small difference in error rate between BW and NIRI systems that is not likely to be clinically significant. When NIRI and BW data are combined, clinician agreement for both lesion characterization and detection increases significantly.

Clear aligner mandibular advancement in growing patients with Class II malocclusion.

Treatment effects occurring during Class II malocclusion treatment with the clear aligner mandibular advancement protocol were evaluated in two growing patients: one male (12 years, 3 months) and one female (11 years, 9 months). Both patients presented with full cusp Class II molar and canine relationships. Intraoral scans and cone-beam computed tomography were acquired before treatment and after mandibular advancement. Three-dimensional skeletal and dental long-axis changes were quantified, in which the dental long axis was determined by registering the dental crowns obtained from intraoral scans to the root canals in cone-beam computed tomography scans obtained at the same time points. Class II correction was achieved by a combination of mandibular skeletal and dental changes. A similar direction of skeletal and dental changes was observed in both patients, with downward and forward displacement of the mandible resulting from the growth of the mandibular condyle and ramus. Dental changes in both patients included mesialization of the mandibular posterior teeth with flaring of mandibular anterior teeth. In these two patients, clear aligner mandibular advancement was an effective treatment modality for Class II malocclusion correction with skeletal and dental effects and facial profile improvement.

Dimensional changes in the palate associated with Invisalign First System: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare palatal dimensions and molar inclinations after Invisalign First System (IFS) to those in patients treated with slow maxillary expansion (SME) and normal controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-three mixed dentition patients treated with IFS were gender- and dental age-matched to another two groups: Haas-type SME and control group. The intercanine width (ICW), intermolar width (IMW), palatal surface area (SA), volume (V), and first molar buccolingual inclinations (MI) were measured before (T1) and after (T2) treatment. Analysis of variance was used to compare the differences among the three groups. RESULTS: The ICW increased significantly by 3.10 mm after IFS, 4.77 mm with SME, and 0.54 mm in controls; the difference among the groups was statistically significant (P < .001). The IMW increased by 1.95 mm in IFS, 4.76 mm in SME, and 0.54 mm in controls, with significant intra- and intergroup differences. Palatal SA and volume increased by 43.50 mm2 and 294.85 mm3 in the IFS group, which differed significantly from SME, but was similar to controls. The right and left MI increased 0.24° and 0.08° buccally, respectively, in the IFS group, which was comparable to controls, while significantly increased buccal MI was observed in the SME group. CONCLUSIONS: IFS expands the upper arch with increased ICW and IMW compared to controls, but the expansion amount is smaller than SME. Unlike SME, IFS has no effects on palatal dimensions and molar inclinations.

Torque recovery of the maxillary incisors with a modified double J retractor in a Class II division 2 case treated with clear aligners.

A patient with a Class II division 2 malocclusion is presented, illustrating the application of a modified double J retractor (DJR) and palatal miniscrews along with clear aligners to correct the malocclusion and normalize the incisor torque. In terms of incisor torque recovery, a nonextraction approach might be a good choice if the Class II correction could be successfully achieved with total arch distalization. When maxillary molar distalization was limited by anatomical boundaries, the treatment plan was changed to bilateral maxillary first premolar extractions, which led to even more retroclination of the maxillary incisors after space closure. Anterior interdental miniscrews were used to intrude the maxillary incisors. A modified DJR and palatal miniscrews were used to regain torque and achieve palatal root movement of the maxillary incisors. The treatment effects and biomechanical designs were evaluated for torque recovery of the retroclined maxillary incisors.

Presurgical orthodontic decompensation with clear aligners.

INTRODUCTION: Orthodontists, surgeons, and patients have taken an interest in using clear aligners in combination with orthognathic surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of tooth movements with clear aligners during presurgical orthodontics using novel 3-dimensional superimposition techniques. METHODS: The study sample consisted of 20 patients who have completed presurgical orthodontics using Invisalign clear aligners. Initial (pretreatment) digital dental models, presurgical digital dental models, and ClinCheck prediction models were obtained. Presurgical models were superimposed onto initial ones using stable anatomic landmarks; ClinCheck models were superimposed onto presurgical models using surface best-fit superimposition. Five hundred forty-five teeth were measured for 3 angular movements (buccolingual torque, mesiodistal tip, and rotation) and 4 linear movements (buccolingual, mesiodistal, vertical, and total scalar displacement). The predicted tooth movement was compared with the achieved amount for each movement and tooth, using both percentage accuracy and numerical difference. RESULTS: Average percentage accuracy (63.4% ± 11.5%) was higher than in previously reported literature. The most accurate tooth movements were buccal torque and mesial displacement compared with lingual torque and distal displacement, particularly for mandibular posterior teeth. Clinically significant inaccuracies were found for the buccal displacement of maxillary second molars, lingual displacement of all molars, intrusion of mandibular second molars, the distal tip of molars, second premolars, and mandibular first premolars, buccal torque of maxillary central and lateral incisors, and lingual torque of premolars and molars. CONCLUSIONS: Superimposition techniques used in this study lay the groundwork for future studies to analyze advanced clear aligner patients. Invisalign is a treatment modality that can be considered for presurgical orthodontics-tooth movements involved in arch leveling and decompensation are highly accurate when comparing the simulated and the clinically achieved movements.

En-masse retraction of maxillary anterior teeth with the Double J retractor and palatal miniscrews: A case report.

A double J retractor and palatal miniscrews were applied to retract maxillary anterior teeth without brackets after repeated periodontal flare-ups. The line of action passing through the center of resistance of maxillary anterior teeth and the moment generated by palatal miniscrews via torquing springs successfully controlled the overbite and incisor torque during space closure. In addition to en-masse retraction without brackets, it is also possible to combine this setup with labial fixed appliances or clear aligner treatment.

Effect of supplemental vibration on orthodontic treatment with aligners: A randomized trial.

INTRODUCTION: Supplemental vibration has been reported to accelerate orthodontic tooth movement and reduce discomfort. Our purpose was to investigate the effects of AcceleDent on Invisalign treatment. This randomized clinical trial was carried out in 2 orthodontic private practices with a 1:1 allocation ratio. METHODS: Adult patients who were beginning their orthodontic treatment were randomly allocated to either an active (A) or a sham (B) AcceleDent Aura device (OrthoAccel Technologies, Inc. Houston, TX). All patients were placed on a 1-week aligner change regimen, and fit was evaluated every 3 weeks. The outcomes were the ability to complete the initial set of aligners and the incisor irregularity measurements for those who completed their regimen of aligners. In addition, aligner compliance, pain levels, and oral health-related quality of life data were gathered from questionnaires. The subjects, investigators, and assessors were all blinded to the treatment arms. RESULTS: Twenty-seven subjects were randomized into 2 groups (A and B), 1 subject discontinued treatment, and 13 subjects were analyzed in each group. The Fisher exact test showed no significant difference in completion rates between the 2 groups (group A, 77%; group B, 85%; P = 1). Independent-sample t tests showed no significant difference between the final irregularity index or change in irregularity index between the 2 groups. Compliance was similar in both groups. The Wilcoxon rank sum test showed minimal differences in pain levels. Quality of life responses were similar in both groups. No serious harm was observed. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that the AcceleDent Aura device impacts the ability to complete a series of aligners with a 1-week change regimen or the final alignment achieved in adult patients. It also had no significant effect on the reduction of orthodontic pain or oral health-related quality of life parameters when used with Invisalign.