Treatments with aligners have many advantages over conventional orthodontic appliances, related to their aesthetic appearance and the comfort provided. This largely explains the proven enthusiasm of orthodontists and their adult patients. Aside from the comfort that accompanies the use of these aligners, a real investigation into their impacts has proven necessary. We conducted this literature review to review the state of knowledge concerning the effect of orthodontic treatments with aligners on dental and periodontal health. The electronic search for this review was carried out on the following databases: “PubMed” “Cochrane” “Science Direct” “Springer” and “Google Scholar”, including articles published between 2010 and 2021. At the end of the initial search, 9641 references were identified on the various databases and 57 articles were retained. After the full reading, five systematic reviews, three meta-analyses, three randomized clinical trials as well as prospective and retrospective studies were found. Results show that maintaining good periodontal health is facilitated by orthodontic aligners. Compared to conventional systems, many studies have found lower periodontal index values (bleeding on probing, gingival index, papillary bleeding index, probing pocket depth) during treatment, as well as relatively stable levels of periodontal-pathogenic and cariogenic micro-organisms and finally fewer enamel decalcifications. Root resorption remains a risk associated with orthodontic treatment with aligners, as in treatment with fixed appliances. Whatever the type of orthodontic appliance, education and motivation in adequate oral hygiene is the keystone to preventing dental demineralization and the occurrence or complication of periodontal disease.
Cite this paper
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