Patient Satisfaction With Digital Versus Conventional Impression Techniques in Clear Aligner Therapy: A...

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Dental Technology
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Clear aligner therapy is popular due to its aesthetics and patient-friendliness.
• The impression process significantly impacts patient experience and treatment acceptance.
• Evaluating digital impressions' impact on patient satisfaction is crucial with increasing technology adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare patient satisfaction between digital and conventional impression techniques for clear aligners.
• To assess patient-reported comfort and fit of aligners fabricated from both impression methods.

Main Methods:

• Prospective questionnaire-based study with 50 orthodontic patients (ages 13-30).
• Participants underwent both digital (intraoral scanner) and conventional (polyvinyl siloxane) impressions.
• Patient satisfaction, comfort, fit, and other parameters were assessed using a validated questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Digital impressions yielded significantly higher patient satisfaction across comfort, pleasantness, breathing ease, and gag reflex (p=0.001).
• Patients showed greater willingness for repeat digital impressions (p=0.005).
• Digitally fabricated aligners demonstrated superior comfort, fit, and reduced distortion (p=0.001).

Conclusions:

• Digital impression techniques substantially enhance patient satisfaction and acceptance of clear aligner therapy.
• Improved comfort and aligner fit from digital workflows may increase treatment compliance.
• Integrating digital workflows optimizes patient-centered orthodontic care and treatment experience.