Patients Preference to Clear Aligner Therapy Over Conventional Orthodontic Therapy

Abstract

Malocclusion is defined as irregularity of the teeth or a mal-relationship of the dental arches beyond the range of what is accepted as normal occlusion. Maloccluded teeth can cause psychological problems that are related to impaired dentofacial esthetics. Malocclusion may also cause serious problems related to oral health. This is a multifactorial defect caused by factors such as environment, lifestyle, health, genetics, socio-economic status etc. Clear aligners are orthodontic therapeutic options which are preferred for the correction of maloccluded teeth. The main aim of the study was to find out the awareness of the patients towards the preference of clear aligners as orthodontic treatment options. A University based setting was conducted. A sample size of hundred patients was taken for the survey. The survey was done by distributing an online questionnaire through Google forms consisting of 11 questions and circulated among the participants. The participants comprise both male and female patients. To eliminate bias, a randomized sampling method was used. The data was collected over a period of one week. All the 11 questions of the survey were close ended questions. Chi square test was applied to find the association between the parameters and the level of significance. This study shows the patients have a moderate understanding of clear aligners and their acceptance of it as an orthodontic treatment option.