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Updated: Aug 27, 2025
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Author Spotlight: 3D Movement Assessment of Maxillary Posterior Teeth in Clear Aligner Treatment
Published on: February 23, 2024
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Presurgical orthodontic decompensation with clear aligners
Amalia Cong1, Antonio Carlos de Oliveira Ruellas2, Sandra Khong Tai3
1Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Summary
Clear aligners show good accuracy for presurgical orthodontics, with specific tooth movements being more precise. This study used advanced 3D superimposition to evaluate Invisalign accuracy in orthognathic surgery preparation.
Area of Science:
- Orthodontics
- Dental Technology
- Surgical Planning
Background:
- Growing interest in combining clear aligners with orthognathic surgery.
- Need to evaluate the accuracy of tooth movements during presurgical orthodontics using clear aligners.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the accuracy of tooth movements achieved with clear aligners during the presurgical phase of orthognathic treatment.
- To compare predicted tooth movements with actual outcomes using novel 3D superimposition methods.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 20 patients treated with Invisalign clear aligners for presurgical orthodontics.
- Utilized initial, presurgical, and prediction digital dental models.
- Employed 3D superimposition techniques (anatomic landmarks and surface best-fit).
- Measured 545 teeth for angular (torque, tip, rotation) and linear (buccolingual, mesiodistal, vertical, scalar) movements.
Main Results:
- Achieved average percentage accuracy of 63.4% ± 11.5%, exceeding previous literature.
- Buccal torque and mesial displacement were more accurate than lingual torque and distal displacement, especially in mandibular posterior teeth.
- Identified clinically significant inaccuracies in specific tooth movements, including molar displacements, incisor torque, and premolar/molar torque.
Conclusions:
- The employed superimposition techniques enable advanced analysis of clear aligner treatment.
- Invisalign is a viable option for presurgical orthodontics, demonstrating high accuracy for arch leveling and decompensation movements.
