Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances: S. mutans presence (CFU > 10^5)
- Population
- Adults undergoing orthodontic treatment
- Intervention
- Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners)
- Comparison
- Fixed appliances
- Outcome
- S. mutans presence (CFU > 10^5)
Aligners probably lower the risk of high S. mutans counts versus fixed appliances in adults at 3 months (RR 0.07, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.49; low certainty).
What each review found
Current versions only| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances S. mutans presence (CFU > 10^5) · Adults undergoing orthodontic treatment · 3 months, Adults Aligners probably lower the risk of high S. mutans counts versus fixed appliances in adults at 3 months (RR 0.07, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.49; low certainty). Impact of Aligners and Fixed Appliances on Oral Health during Orthodontic Treatment: A Systematic Review and… (2021) All outcomes | RR 0.07 [0.01, 0.49] | 2 studies · 140 participants | Low |
Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances S. mutans presence (CFU > 10^5) · Adults undergoing orthodontic treatment · 6 months, Adults Aligners probably lower the risk of high S. mutans counts versus fixed appliances in adults at 6 months (RR 0.22, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.51; low certainty). Impact of Aligners and Fixed Appliances on Oral Health during Orthodontic Treatment: A Systematic Review and… (2021) All outcomes | RR 0.22 [0.10, 0.51] | 2 studies · 140 participants | 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 |
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.
- Salivary concentrations of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli during an orthodontic treatment. An observational study comparing fixed… · 2020 · included by 1 of these review
- Salivary levels of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli and other salivary indices in patients wearing clear aligners versus fixed… · 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.