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Author Spotlight: 3D Movement Assessment of Maxillary Posterior Teeth in Clear Aligner Treatment
Published on: February 23, 2024
Patient experiences with clear aligners: a scoping review
Hannah Chong1, Joshua Peh1, Tony Weir1
1Orthodontic Unit, Adelaide Dental School, Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences Building, The University of Adelaide, 4 North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.
Introduction:
Clear aligner therapy (CAT) is an aesthetic alternative to fixed appliance therapy (FAT). An understanding of patient experiences with CAT can enable clinicians to educate patients, manage expectations, and identify potential barriers to effective treatment. A scoping review was undertaken to map and synthesise the available evidence on patient experiences with CAT.
Methods:
The review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. The PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source databases and grey literature were searched. Data collation and synthesis was presented in descriptive and tabular formats.
Results:
The initial search yielded 541 articles following removal of duplicate studies. 37 studies met the selection criteria and were scoped in the present review. The studies identified included cross-sectional, longitudinal, prospective, and randomised clinical trials reporting on patient experiences with CAT associated with Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQOL) and satisfaction. The impacts of CAT on OHRQOL with relevance to pain was the most frequently evaluated aspect, followed by speech, satisfaction, eating, anxiety, and sleep.
Conclusions:
CAT patients report satisfaction with the aesthetics of the appliance however can expect transient negative effects on OHRQOL, pain, anxiety, and speech after commencing treatment. Further longitudinal research using validated qualitative tools focussing on CAT is required.
Registration:
This review was registered in the Open Science Framework database (DOI: xx).
