Comparison of pain levels in patients treated with 3 different orthodontic appliances - a randomized trial

Abstract

Background and aims. To compare pain levels experienced during initial alignment with three different orthodontic appliance types and to correlate pain with male and female differences, if any.
 Methods. A prospective, randomized 3- arm parallel trial allocated 36 adult orthodontic patients into three appliance groups: MBT 0.022” slot (Mini Twin, Ormco, Glendora, USA), self ligating 0.022" slot Damon 3MX (Ormco, Glendora, USA) and clear aligners (Smile align, Mumbai, India). The level of discomfort was assessed through a questionnaire based on the visual analogue scale at four hours, twenty four hours, third and seventh day after appliance placement.
 Results. Patients treated with clear aligners reported less pain than patients treated with conventional and self ligating fixed appliances. Patients treated with MBT conventional appliances showed greater pain levels than Damon appliances. A significantly higher visual analogue scale score was observed at 24 hours and the least visual analogue scale scores on the seventh day post appliance placement.
 Conclusion. During the first week of orthodontic treatment, patients treated with clear aligners reported lower pain than those treated with conventional and self-ligating appliances.

Pain and Oral-Health-Related Quality of Life in Orthodontic Patients During Initial Therapy with Conventional, Low-Friction, and Lingual Brackets and Aligners (Invisalign): A Prospective Clinical Study

“…The differences found in other studies [ 45 , 55 ] may be due to the heterogeneity in their samples (large skeletal discrepancies, different types of malocclusions, etc.). With this study, we tried to homogenize the patients in the four treatment groups in terms of number, type, and degree of malocclusion and by not including treatment with extractions or surgical cases.…”

“…Patients wearing aligners were found to have less pain, less discomfort during chewing, and less impact on social and psychological disability during the first week of analysis compared with those with conventional or low-friction braces. No statistically significant differences in pronunciation were found [ 55 ].…”

Relationship between oral health impacts and personality profiles among orthodontic patients treated with Invisalign clear aligners

“…In this context, previous studies reported positive changes and high satisfaction with Invisalign treatment especially with eating, chewing and appearance 19,36,37 . Invisalign treatment was associated with better satisfaction, better oral health related quality of life, and less negative impacts on oral health than fixed orthodontics [12][13][14][15][16]19,20,37,38 . They were associated with less disruption to eating and chewing and were rated as more satisfactory than fixed appliances 16 .…”

“…Invisalign treatment was associated with better satisfaction, better oral health related quality of life, and less negative impacts on oral health than fixed orthodontics [12][13][14][15][16]19,20,37,38 . They were associated with less disruption to eating and chewing and were rated as more satisfactory than fixed appliances 16 . Also, oral health related quality of life was not significantly affected by Invisalign treatment 38 .…”

“…Also, oral health related quality of life was not significantly affected by Invisalign treatment 38 . This could be attributed to that Invisalign was associated with good oral health and periodontal parameters as well as minimal pain, no halitosis, dry mouth or plaque accumulation [12][13][14][15][16]38 .…”