Comparison of three-dimensional tooth movements in virtual setups using different software packages for clear aligner...

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Dental Technology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Clear aligner therapy is increasingly popular in orthodontics.
• Software for virtual setups and in-house aligner fabrication is widely available.
• Evaluating the accuracy of different software packages is crucial for treatment planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the accuracy of tooth movements generated by four different clear aligner software packages.
• To assess how varying degrees of dental crowding influence the discrepancies between software outcomes.
• To identify potential variations in virtual setup results across different platforms.

Main Methods:

• Forty-four adult patient stereolithography (STL) files were used for in silico analysis.
• Patients were categorized into moderate (2.5-5 mm) and severe (>5 mm) dental crowding groups.
• Tooth movements from ClinCheck® Pro were replicated in Ortho Analyzer®, Maestro 3D Ortho Studio®, and Blue Sky Plan®, with deviations analyzed via superimposition.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant deviations were found between ClinCheck® Pro and Ortho Analyzer®, Maestro 3D Ortho Studio®, and Blue Sky Plan® in moderate crowding cases (p < 0.05).
• No significant difference in deviation was observed between Maestro 3D Ortho Studio® and Blue Sky Plan® (p > 0.05).
• In severe crowding, all investigated software programs showed significant variances compared to ClinCheck® Pro (p < 0.05), with Ortho Analyzer® exhibiting the highest deviation.

Conclusions:

• The four examined software programs produced diverse final virtual tooth setups, even with identical tooth movement values.
• Greater variance in outcomes was observed in cases of severe dental crowding.
• Discrepancies are attributed to distinct algorithms, segmentation methods, and rotation centers employed by each software.