Title

Effect of clear aligners and fixed appliances among orthodontic patients: A comparative study

Authors

Shashank Gaikwad¹*, Mrunal Dave², Ananya Bhargava³, Ishaan Saha⁴, Shivani Kumari⁵, Poonam Kumari Jayaprakash⁶, Miral Mehta⁷ & Jugajyoti Pathi⁸

Affiliation

¹Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai, Maharashra, India; ²Bethlehem Smile Design, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA; ³Consultant Orthodontist, Avanti Hospital, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India; ⁴Department of Dental Surgery, Sri Ramachandra Dental College & Hospital, SRIHER, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; ⁵Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, SGT University, Gurgaon-Badli Road Chandu, Budhera, Gurugram, Haryana, India; ⁶Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Dental Institute, RIMS, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India; ⁷Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Karnavati School of Dentistry, Karnavati University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India; ⁸Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Kalinga Institute of Dental Sciences, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Shashank Gaikwad - E-mail: drshashanksgaikwad@gmail.com
Mrunal Dave - E-mail: mrunal303@gmail.com
Ananya Bhargava - E-mail: drananyaortho@gmail.com
Ishaan Saha - E-mail: drishaansaha23@gmail.com
Shivani Kumari - E-mail: drshivanigdcm8@gmail.com
Poonam Kumari Jayaprakash - E-mail: drpoonamortho@gmail.com
Miral Mehta - E-mail: miral9829@gmail.com
Jugajyoti Pathi - E-mail: jpathi@kims.ac.in

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received September 1, 2025; Revised September 30, 2025; Accepted September 30, 2025, Published September 30, 2025

Abstract

Orthodontic treatment can be delivered using clear aligners (CA) or fixed appliances (FA), yet direct comparisons of overall efficacy remain limited. This randomized controlled trial included 120 patients (60 CA, 60 FA) with mild-to-moderate malocclusions to evaluate treatment duration, occlusal outcomes (PAR index), pain, satisfaction and compliance. Treatment duration was longer with CA (18.2 ± 3.1 vs. 14.5 ± 2.8 months; p<0.001), while both groups achieved comparable PAR index reductions (p=0.082). Pain was lower and satisfaction higher in the CA group, with good compliance (21.8 ± 1.5 h/day). Both modalities effectively corrected malocclusions, with FA showing greater efficiency and CA providing superior comfort and patient experience.

Keywords

Clear aligners, fixed appliances, orthodontics, treatment efficacy, patient satisfaction, treatment duration, PAR index, comparative study

Citation

Gaikwad et al. Bioinformation 21(9): 3099-3104 (2025)

Edited by

Vini Mehta

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.