Lower Molar Distalization Using Clear Aligners: Bodily Movement or Uprighting? A Preliminary Study

Background: Lower molar distalization is considered to be one of the most difficult movements to obtain with clear aligners. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility to distalize the lower molars using clear aligners in adults without miniscrews. Material and methods: rx cephalograms of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied sciences 2022-07, Vol.12 (14), p.7123
Main Authors: Rota, Elisa, Parrini, Simone, Malekian, Kamy, Cugliari, Giovanni, Mampieri, Gianluca, Deregibus, Andrea, Castroflorio, Tommaso
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
class III
clear aligners
Dental schools
distalization
Molars
Orthodontics
Patients
Software
Teeth
Variables
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background: Lower molar distalization is considered to be one of the most difficult movements to obtain with clear aligners. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility to distalize the lower molars using clear aligners in adults without miniscrews. Material and methods: rx cephalograms of 16 patients (8 males, 8 females; mean age of 25.6 years), who underwent lower molar distalization, were analyzed. Cephalograms were taken before the beginning of treatment (T0) and after the end of treatment (T1). Dental and skeletal changes between T0 and T1 were evaluated. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: At T1, the lower second molar moved distally 2.47 mm, but there was a significant tipping (p = 0.027); the same result was found at the first molar, with a mean distal movement of 1.16 mm and a significant tipping (p = 0.003). No significant changes were detected on the sagittal and vertical skeletal variables. Conclusion: Clear aligner therapy can provide more distal tipping than bodily movement in the lower molars when a distalization is programmed. This movement could be sufficient to correct the initial malocclusion and gain a class I molar relationship.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app12147123