Comparative assessment of the clinical outcomes of clear aligners compared to fixed appliance in class II malocclusion

Objective This study compared clinical outcomes between aligners and fixed appliances in class II adolescent patients. Materials and methodsRecords of 31 aligners and 35 fixed class II patients, aged 13.5 +/- 1.6 years were compared. Class II elastics was the mechanism employed for correcting the malocclusion. DI scores were used to compare initial complexity, and the PAR index scores were used to compare the clinical outcomes. Data on demographics, treatment and finishing durations, number of visits and refinements, duration of class II correction, and changes in the IMPA were collected. Results The mean pre-, post-treatment, and overall reduction in PAR index scores between the groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05). The clear aligners group had significantly shorter treatment duration (20.0 +/- 11.6 months) than the fixed group (27.4 +/- 9.1 months) (P < 0.001). The number of visits for the aligners' group was significantly less (12.7 +/- 6.2) than in the fixed group (17.8 +/- 5.8) (P < 0.001). Duration for class II correction was significantly shorter for clear aligners (13.3 +/- 10.0 months) compared to the fixed group (17.4 +/- 9.0 months) (P = 0.026). A smaller post-treatment change in IMPA (2 +/- 6 degrees) was detected in the aligners group compared to the fixed group (5 +/- 6 degrees) (P < 0.05). Conclusions Treatment outcomes for aligners in class II adolescent patients were comparable to those achieved in fixed appliances. Shorter treatment and class II correction durations, fewer visits, and better control for the IMPA were noticed in the aligners' group. Clinical relevanceTreating class II adolescent patients with aligners seems promising and demands shorter treatment time and fewer visits.