Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances: Plaque
- Population
- Adolescents/teenagers undergoing orthodontic treatment
- Intervention
- Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners)
- Comparison
- Fixed appliances
- Outcome
- Plaque
A single study reported a lower full-mouth plaque score with aligners versus fixed appliances in adolescents at 12 months (MD -43.48, 95% CI -47.65 to -39.31; ungraded).
What each review found
Current versions only| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances Full-mouth plaque score (FMPS) · Adolescents/teenagers undergoing orthodontic treatment · 12 months, Adolescents A single study reported a lower full-mouth plaque score with aligners versus fixed appliances in adolescents at 12 months (MD -43.48, 95% CI -47.65 to -39.31; ungraded). Impact of Aligners and Fixed Appliances on Oral Health during Orthodontic Treatment: A Systematic Review and… (2021) All outcomes | MD -43.48 [-47.65, -39.31] | 1 study | GRADE not reported |
Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances Plaque index (PI) · Adolescents/teenagers undergoing orthodontic treatment · 18 months, Adolescents A single study reported lower plaque index with aligners versus fixed appliances in adolescents at 18 months (MD -0.40, 95% CI -0.77 to -0.03; ungraded). Impact of Aligners and Fixed Appliances on Oral Health during Orthodontic Treatment: A Systematic Review and… (2021) All outcomes | MD -0.40 [-0.77, -0.03] | 1 study | GRADE not reported |
Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances Simplified plaque index (s-PI) · Adolescents/teenagers undergoing orthodontic treatment · 1 month, Adolescents A single study reported lower simplified plaque index with aligners versus fixed appliances in adolescents at 1 month (MD -14.78, 95% CI -16.74 to -12.82; ungraded). Impact of Aligners and Fixed Appliances on Oral Health during Orthodontic Treatment: A Systematic Review and… (2021) All outcomes | MD -14.78 [-16.74, -12.82] | 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 |
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 · Adults 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.
- Which orthodontic appliance is best for oral hygiene? A randomized clinical trial · 2018 · included by 1 of these review
- Salivary levels of cariogenic bacterial species during orthodontic treatment with thermoplastic aligners or fixed appliances: a… · 2018 · included by 1 of these review
- Periodontal health in teenagers treated with removable aligners and fixed orthodontic appliances · 2015 · 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.