Orthodontic Retainers: A Contemporary Overview

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Dental Materials Science

Background:

• Maintaining corrected tooth positions post-orthodontic treatment is a significant clinical challenge.
• Orthodontic retainers are essential for preventing relapse and ensuring long-term stability of the stomatognathic system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review various orthodontic retention modalities and appliance types.
• To provide insight into the effectiveness and patient-centered outcomes of different retention strategies.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing studies on orthodontic retention appliances.
• Analysis of data regarding effectiveness, cost, oral hygiene, and patient satisfaction.

Main Results:

• Significant variations exist in reported outcomes for different retention appliances concerning effectiveness, cost, and oral hygiene.
• Vacuum-formed retainers (VFRs) generally show higher patient satisfaction and better speech articulation compared to Hawley retainers.
• Hawley retainers demonstrate superior occlusal contact achievement compared to VFRs.

Conclusions:

• High-quality evidence favoring a specific orthodontic retention appliance or protocol is currently insufficient.
• Further high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to evaluate various retention appliances and regimens.
• Long-term or indefinite retention is necessary regardless of the appliance used to prevent post-orthodontic treatment relapse.