The Impact of Non-Extraction Orthodontic Treatment on the Oral-Health-Related Quality of Life between a Modified Aligner Appliance with Ni-Ti Springs and the Traditional Fixed Appliances: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

Background and Objectives: To compare the oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) outcomes between patients treated with modified Ni-Ti spring-based alignment appliances or conventional fixed appliances using the Oral Health Impact Profile 14 (OHIP-14), as well as the levels of satisfaction with the appliance appearance, treatment progress, and outcomes. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six patients (11 males, 25 females) were randomly divided into two groups: either the modified aligner appliance with Ni-Ti springs group (MAA) or the traditional fixed appliances group (FA). The allocation ratio was 1:1, and the randomization process was carried out by an independent investigator not involved in this study. Mild crowding cases were included in this study. The OHRQoL of patients was evaluated using the short-form Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) at five time points: before the treatment commencement (T0); 2 weeks (T1), 1 month (T2), and 2 months (T3) after the treatment initiation; and post-treatment (T4). The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the patient satisfaction. Blinding was performed only during the outcomes assessment. Results: This randomized controlled trial had no dropouts, and the demographic characteristics of the groups were comparable. The MAA group experienced significantly greater functional limitations compared with the FA group at all three evaluation time points (T1, T2, and T3), as evidenced by the statistically significant p-values (p = 0.004, p = 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). The psychological disability in the MAA group was significantly lower than in the FA group at both T2 (p = 0.005) and T3 (p = 0.003). The patient satisfaction with the appliance appearance was significantly higher in the MAA group than in the FA group (p = 0.002). Conclusions: The OHRQoL improved in both the modified aligner appliance with Ni-Ti springs and fixed appliance groups after the treatment. Moreover, the functional limitations during the treatment were less severe in the FA group, while the psychological disability was lower, and the patient satisfaction with the appliance appearance was higher in the MAA group.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of modified aligner appliance with nickel-titanium springs in treatment of mild crowding of lower incisors: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of modified aligner appliances with nickel-titanium springs (MAAs) in treating mild mandibular crowding and assess the overall alignment treatment duration, alignment improvement percentage, and mandibular incisor proclination. METHODS: This two-armed, parallel-group randomized controlled trial included 36 patients (7 men, 29 women) with mild mandibular incisor crowding according to Little's Irregularity Index. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the MAA group (mean age = 22.56 ± 3.50 years) and the conventional fixed bracket group (control group; mean age = 20.89 ± 2.90 years). The duration of alignment treatment of the lower anterior teeth was calculated. The progress of alignment was evaluated every 2 weeks on the study casts, which were taken at fixed intervals: pretreatment (T0) and 2 (T1), 4 (T2), 6 (T3), and 8 (T4) weeks after beginning the treatment. Change of mandibular incisor proclination was evaluated by measuring and comparing pretreatment and postalignment lateral cephalograms. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was detected between the two groups in terms of alignment treatment duration (P = 0.097), whereas a significant difference was observed in the alignment improvement percentage at T1 (P = 0.000), T2 (P = 0.001), and T3 (P = 0.022). In addition, the MAA group had a lower change of mandibular incisor proclination than the control group (P = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical application of MAAs may be effective in lower incisor decrowding, with a reduction in lower incisor inclination compared with conventional fixed brackets. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT04988373).

Evaluation of corticision-based acceleration of lower anterior teeth alignment in terms of root resorption and dehiscence formation using cone-beam computed tomography in young adult patients: A randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: No randomized controlled trial (RCT) has compared flapless corticision with the conventional treatment in the non-extraction treatment of crowded lower anterior teeth (LAT) in terms of external apical root resorption (EARR) and dehiscence formation (DF). The aim of this RCT was to investigate these two complications during levelling and alignment of the LAT using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging. METHODS: Patients with mild to moderate crowding of the LAT were included. Subjects were randomly allocated to either the corticision-assisted orthodontic treatment group (CORT) or the traditional orthodontic treatment group (TRAD). In the CORT, three vertical incisions were performed after brackets' placement. CBCT images were taken before starting treatment and after treatment completion to assess the EARR and the DF. Two-sample t-test and Chi-Square tests were used to detect significant differences. RESULTS: In general, 312 roots of the lower anterior teeth (156 in each group) were examined. Fifty-two patients (14 males and 38 females, mean age 21.38) were recruited. (CORT; n=26, 6 males, 20 females, mean age 21.30); (TRAD; n=26, 8 males, 18 females, mean age 21.46). No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups regarding the overall mean value of EARR following alignment (P=0.436). The greatest recorded resorption values were 0.81 and 1.02 in the CORT and TRAD groups, respectively. At the end of levelling and alignment, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the distribution of DF (P=0.780). CONCLUSION: Corticision as an acceleration technique did not produce any significant side effects on the roots of lower anterior teeth and did not cause additional alveolar bone defects (dehiscence formation) compared to the conventional non-accelerated method of alignment.