Clear aligners brands and marketing claims: An overview of available information on the web

Abstract

Objectives To investigate the current commercially available clear aligners related to brands, companies, Google trends, and marketing claims presented on their official websites. Materials and methods A search was conducted in October 2020 to identify the relevant web-based information, using three languages (English, Chinese, and Korean) and search terms “clear aligner”, , , and in four search engines (Google, Bing, Baidu, and Naver) to identify current clear aligner companies. Each company website was reviewed and assessed for its marketing claims. Results A total of 75 clear aligner brands were identified and included in the study, and 280 claims from their official websites were analysed. Most (70.7%) of the companies made claims regarding “aesthetics”, 66.7% made claims regarding “increased comfort”, 58.7% made claims regarding “shorter treatment time”, and 56.0% of the companies made claims regarding “superior material”. Other claims were made regarding their “novel technology”, “superior hygiene”, “tracking Apps”, “remote monitoring”, and “reduced in-office visits”. Of these marketing claims, only 4.5% cited references supporting the company’s website claims; however, the references were mainly derived from internal company research. Conclusions Using three languages (English, Chinese, and Korean), 75 different brands of clear aligners were currently found online. Most of the marketing claims from the clear aligner companies’ official websites were not referenced to quality scientific studies. Clinicians and patients should critically appraise the content of company claims and advertisements.

Invitro Evaluation of Forces Delivered by Aligners Fabricated using Positive Air Pressure versus Negative Air Pressure.

“…This is largely due to the increase in public awareness of dental esthetics which has led to a rise in the demand for more esthetically appealing orthodontic treatment modalities. 10 This directly corresponded with the reported jump in the number of dental professionals offering CAT. 11 CAT is marketed as a more convenient and esthetic alternative to fixed orthodontic therapy, more adults are now more interested in getting comprehensive orthodontic treatment.…”

“…This also contributed to the leap in popularity of CAT among patients of different age groups. 3,10 As a result of the increased popularity in use of clear aligners in orthodontic offices combined with the relative deficiency in available research, the scope of interest in this study was to have a closer look at the force delivery of clear aligners.…”

Civil liability of orthodontists and aligner manufacturers in the treatment with orthodontic aligners

“…14 Even with little scientific evidence, the number of companies manufacturing orthodontic aligners has been increasing, with many of them using marketing strategies aimed at the final consumer. 18,19,20 According to Shi et al, 21 the marketing campaigns displayed on the websites of the manufacturing companies emphasize themes related to aesthetics, comfort, shorter treatment time, better materials, remote monitoring and follow-up applications, and fewer office visits. Out of the 75 brand websites assessed, only 4.5% cited references that confirmed the advertisements.…”

Clear Aligner Therapy: Up to date review article

“…They are also a good option for patients who are concerned about the appearance of traditional metal braces or who have active lifestyles and need a more discreet orthodontic option. [ 66 67 68 69 70 ] In general, CAT is indicated in cases of mild crowding or spacing issues between 1 mm and 5 mm; deep overbites; dental arches that are too narrow and require expansion; intrusion of one or two teeth; severe crowding, if the lower incisor gets extracted; and any molars that needed to be tilted in distal direction. [ 71 ]…”