Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances: Plaque
- Population
- Adults undergoing orthodontic treatment
- Intervention
- Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners)
- Comparison
- Fixed appliances
- Outcome
- Plaque
Aligners may reduce plaque index compared with fixed appliances in adults at 6-12 weeks (MD -0.58, 95% CI -0.82 to -0.34; very low certainty).
What each review found
Current versions only| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances Plaque index (PI) · Adults undergoing orthodontic treatment · 6 to 12 weeks, Adults Aligners may reduce plaque index compared with fixed appliances in adults at 6-12 weeks (MD -0.58, 95% CI -0.82 to -0.34; very low certainty). Impact of Aligners and Fixed Appliances on Oral Health during Orthodontic Treatment: A Systematic Review and… (2021) All outcomes | MD -0.58 [-0.82, -0.34] | 4 studies · 202 participants | Very low |
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 |
Related questions
The same intervention and outcome, asked in another population or against another comparator.
- Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Conventional orthodontic appliance treatment · Orthodontic patients undergoing comprehensive treatment (late mixed or permanent… · 1 review
- Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances · Adolescents/teenagers undergoing orthodontic treatment · 1 review
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.
- Periodontal status of adult patients treated with fixed buccal appliances and removable aligners over one year of active orthodontic… · 2013 · included by 1 of these review
- Levrini et al. 2013 · 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.