Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances: White spot lesions (WSLs), tooth level
- Population
- Adults undergoing orthodontic treatment
- Intervention
- Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners)
- Comparison
- Fixed appliances
- Outcome
- White spot lesions (WSLs), tooth level
A single study reported a lower risk of white spot lesions (tooth level) with aligners versus fixed appliances in adults at 3 months (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.86; ungraded).
What each review found
Current versions only| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances White spot lesions (WSLs), tooth level · Adults undergoing orthodontic treatment · 3 months, Adults A single study reported a lower risk of white spot lesions (tooth level) with aligners versus fixed appliances in adults at 3 months (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.86; ungraded). Impact of Aligners and Fixed Appliances on Oral Health during Orthodontic Treatment: A Systematic Review and… (2021) All outcomes | RR 0.72 [0.60, 0.86] | 1 study | GRADE not reported |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impact of Aligners and Fixed Appliances on Oral Health during Orthodontic Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2021 All outcomes | 31 May 2021 (updated; initial search 21 August 2020) | 21 | Critically Low / Critically Low |
Studies behind the findings
The primary studies the full-text reviews tie to this outcome. Reviews with headline outcomes only do not list them here.
- Enamel demineralization during clear aligner orthodontic treatment compared with fixed appliance therapy, evaluated with quantitative… · 2020 · included by 1 of these review
How reviews are matched to this question
Reviews word the same question differently. Four decision models (TypeSafe's Jev, Liquid AI's d1-ultra, SubQ Snap and Baseten's Elephant) judged each wording of the population, intervention, comparator and outcome against the others; two wordings count as the same when at least three of them agree and none clearly disagrees, and findings count as this question only when all four elements match. Timing, setting and subgroup never split a question: they are shown on each finding.