Maxillary alveolar bone evaluation following dentoalveolar expansion with clear aligners in adults: A cone-beam computed tomography study

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effects of maxillary orthodontic expansion on the alveolar bone tissue in adult patients treated with aligners by using cone-beam computed tomography. Methods Thirty patients (22 females and 8 males; mean age 36.3 years) were treated with Invisalign ® aligners. Cone-beam computed tomography and digital models were obtained before (T0) and after (T1) upper arch expansion. The bone thicknesses in the cervical, middle, and apical areas of the incisors, canines, premolar, and first molars were buccally and palatally measured, totaling 96 areas and 2,880 measurements. The buccolingual inclinations and transverse measurements of the teeth were obtained from digital models to correlate them with the bone changes. The statistical tests used were Student’s t -test, analysis of variance, and Pearson’s correlation tests ( p < 0.05). Results From the 96 areas evaluated, 84 revealed an increase or stability in the alveolar bone thickness and twelve displayed significant bone loss. Bone changes did not correlate with the tooth inclination and transverse measurements. Conclusions Within the limitation of the present study, mild levels of upper arch expansion obtained with Invisalign ® aligners in adult patients did not result in any clinically significant loss of alveolar bone thickness.

Accuracy and reliability of mandibular digital model superimposition based on the morphological characteristics of vessels in extraction adult patients

“…The lateral cephalograms reveal the 2-D tooth movement and the airway with defects such as magnification and distortion in the image [ 3 , 4 ]. As for CBCT images, which are now widespread in the clinic for presenting 3-D images of dental-maxillofacial anatomy without image distortion [ 5 – 7 ], it has been reported that CBCT is capable of evaluating tooth movement through voxel-based superimposition [ 8 – 11 ]. However, for orthodontists, it violates the principle of as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) to take CBCT repeatedly in a short period only to evaluate tooth movement.…”

Three-dimensional analysis of the positional relationship between the dentition and basal bone region in patients with skeletal Class I and Class II malocclusion with mandibular retrusion

“…A harmonized relationship between the dentition and underlying basal bone is an important orthodontic treatment goal. 1 , 2 The stability of the boundary of the basal bone before and after orthodontic treatment is critical; thus, teeth moved outside the basal bone boundary during orthodontic treatment can cause severe periodontal and endodontic problems, such as dehiscence, fenestration, 3 and severe root resorption. 4 Therefore, investigating the relationship between the dentition and basal bone is necessary to provide guidelines for the safe movement of teeth during orthodontic treatments in clinical practice.…”