Comparative SEM analysis of nine F22 aligner cleaning strategies

Abstract

BackgroundThe orthodontics industry has paid great attention to the aesthetics of orthodontic appliances, seeking to make them as invisible as possible. There are several advantages to clear aligner systems, including aesthetics, comfort, chairside time reduction, and the fact that they can be removed for meals and oral hygiene procedures.MethodsFive patients were each given a series of F22 aligners, each to be worn for 14 days and nights, with the exception of meal and brushing times. Patients were instructed to clean each aligner using a prescribed strategy, and sections of the used aligners were observed under SEM. One grey-scale SEM image was saved per aligner in JPEG format with an 8-bit colour depth, and a total of 45 measurements on the grey scale (“Value” variable) were made. This dataset was analysed statistically via repeated measures ANOVA to determine the effect of each of the nine cleaning strategies in each of the five patients.ResultsA statistically significant difference in the efficacy of the cleaning strategies was detected. Specifically, rinsing with water alone was significantly less efficacious, and a combination of cationic detergent solution and ultrasonication was significantly more efficacious than the other methods (p < 0.05).ConclusionsOf the nine cleaning strategies examined, only that involving 5 min of ultrasonication at 42 k Hz combined with a 0.3% germicidal cationic detergent was observed to be statistically effective at removing the bacterial biofilm from the surface of F22 aligners.

Colorimetric and spectrophotometric measurements of orthodontic thermoplastic aligners exposed to various staining sources and cleaning methods

“…Patients are normally asked to wear their aligners full-time except when they eat or drink anything except water, or when they brush or floss their teeth [3,4]. However, many patients do not have complete compliance [5] and consume coloring agents with their devices despite the orthodontists' or manufacturers' recommendations [6]. This leads to a change within the polymer forming the aligners, affecting their transparency, which is one of their main advantages [7][8][9].…”

“…Few studies have examined the color stability of orthodontic aligners to staining agents, and only on a limited set of brands available on the market [7][8][9]. While there have been studies evaluating the removal of bacterial biofilms at the surface of aligners by different cleaning products and methods [6,10], only a select few articles compared the transparency of aligners after cleaning [11][12][13]. To our knowledge, no study exists in which thermoplastic aligners are both exposed to coloring agents and subjected to a cleansing cycle to verify the color changes of the devices.…”

Clear Aligners: Between Evolution and Efficiency—A Scoping Review

“…One comparative study evaluates the stress relaxation after use [ 32 ]. Other studies evaluate the behavior of the clear aligner after oral exposure and with aging [ 58 , 59 ]. A clinical study has been published on the efficiency of the use of this clear aligners’ system with elastics in class II malocclusions [ 15 ].…”

The Force Effects of Two Types of Polyethylene Terephthalate Glyc-olmodified Clear Aligners Immersed in Artificial Saliva

“…Furthermore, the thermoplastic material surface morphology usually has been associated with de ection of the clear aligners, and the continuous orthodontic light force was exerted by de ection of the aligners. Some studies have investigated the surface morphology variations caused by immersion in coffee, black tea, red wine, and 75% ethanol solution, and aligners did exhibit surface morphology changes, but these solutions were unable of truly simulating the oral environment, which might not re ect the realistic conditions of aligners placed on tooth [8,24,25]. Hence, we chose to immerse the clear aligners in AS at 37℃, and measured the forces exerted on teeth and surface changes.…”