Efficacy of Anterior Tooth Simulations with Clear Aligner Therapy - A Retrospective Cohort study of Invisalign and Flash Aligner Systems

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of tooth movement between two clear aligner systems by comparing the predicted treatment outcomes versus actual outcomes achieved using a 3D best-fit algorithm. Materials & Methods: Clear aligner therapy (CAT) was used to treat 62 patients; n=38 Invisalign® and n=24 Flash®. The Invisalign group had a male to female distribution of 13:25 and a mean age of 35.5, while the Flash group had a male to female distribution of 6:18, with a mean age of 29.2. Differences in predicted versus achieved actual outcomes were compared using eModel Compare 8.1 software. Results: 1) Intra-group differences between predicted and achieved tooth movements for angular movements were statistically (P<0.05) and clinically (>2°) significant with both treatment methods, except for tipping of maxillary and mandibular incisors for Flash® (<2◦). 2) Inter-group results demonstrated statistically significant differences in favor of Flash® for maxillary central incisor Tip (1.3°), BL movements for maxillary canines (0.1mm), and mandibular central incisor Rotations (1°). These did not exceed the threshold for the clinical relevance of 2° or 0.5mm. Conclusions: There were no differences in clinical accuracy and efficacy between Invisalign or Flash aligner systems in achieving predicted tooth movement.