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Updated: Aug 3, 2025
Author Spotlight: 3D Movement Assessment of Maxillary Posterior Teeth in Clear Aligner Treatment
Published on: February 23, 2024
Efficiency of Invisalign First® to promote expansion movement in mixed dentition: a retrospective study and
A Gonçalves1,2, S Ayache1, F Monteiro2,3,4
1UNIPRO - Oral Pathology and Rehabilitation Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences (IUCS), CESPU, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal - Center for MicroElectroMechanical Systems (CMEMS), University of Minho, Campus Azurém, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal.
Aim:
The present study aimed: i) to retrospectively evaluate the expansion movement predicted by the Clincheck® software and the achieved expansion using Invisalign First® in children needing maxillary expansion to correct malocclusions; and ii) to critically compare these clinical results with the outcomes obtained for maxillary expansion using conventional removable and cemented expanders.
Material And Methods:
The 3D digital models of the dental arches of 24 children undergoing orthodontic treatment exclusively with Invisalign First® aligners between 2018 and 2021 were sequentially selected for this study. Three digital models were analysed: pre-treatment (P0), the Clincheck®-predicted tooth positions (P1), and post-treatment (P2) models. The maxillary dental arch width and expansion efficiency were measured andcalculated. An in-depth review of the available literature on maxillary expansion was performed following PRISMA guidelines.
Results:
Invisalign First® was able to achieve a total effectiveness of maxillary expansion of 62.6%, compared to the predicted movement. Similarly, the total effectiveness of mandibular expansion was 61.6%.
Conclusions:
Our data shows that Invisalign First® system can increase the arch width with maxillary expansion effectiveness, providing similar results to those achieved with conventional removable appliances. However, neither Invisalign First® aligners nor conventional removable expanders are as much efficient as cemented-retained appliances.
