Title

Speech and mastication difficulties: Clear aligners versus conventional braces

Authors

Manche Meghana¹,*, M. Akhilesh², Zeeshan Mubashir³, Kommu Pavan⁴, Simran Suhani⁵, Balaji Dhanraj Kendre⁶ & Rahul Tiwari⁷

Affiliation

¹Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Mamata Dental College, Khammam, Telangana, India; ²Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Hyderabad, Telangana, India; ³Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Al Jouf Specialised Dental Center, Ministry of Health, Sakaka, Aljouf Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; ⁴Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Tirumala Institute of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Nizamabad, Telangana, India; ⁵Department of Orthodontics, Vananchal Dental College, Garhwa, Jharkhand, India; ⁶Department of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics, Saraswati Dhanwantari Dental College & Hospital, Parbhani, Maharashtra; ⁷Department of Dental Research Cell, Dr. D. Y. Patil Dental College & Hospital, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pimpri, Pune, Maharashtra, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Manche Meghana - E-mail: meghanamanche@gmail.com

M. Akhilesh - E-mail: akhilleoworld25@gmail.com

Zeeshan Mubashir - E-mail: dr.zeeshanmubashir@gmail.com

Kommu Pavan - E-mail: docpavan11@gmail.com

Simran Suhani - E-mail: imsimransuhani@gmail.com

Balaji Dhanraj Kendre - E-mail: mebalajikendre@gmail.com

Rahul Tiwari - E-mail: rahul.tiwari@dpu.edu.in

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received January 1, 2026; Revised January 31, 2026; Accepted January 31, 2026, Published January 31, 2026

Abstract

Orthodontic appliances influence patients’ oral functions, especially speech and mastication. Therefore, it is of interest to compare speech and mastication difficulties among patients treated with clear aligners and conventional braces. One hundred participants were assessed through a validated questionnaire and performance tests. Clear aligners showed fewer articulation and chewing problems than fixed braces. The differences were statistically significant. Thus, we show clear aligners may provide improved comfort and oral function during orthodontic treatment.

Keywords

Orthodontic appliances, clear aligners, mastication disorders, speech articulation, patient reported outcomes

Citation

Meghana et al. Bioinformation 22(1): 385-387 (2026)

Edited by

Rashmi Laddha

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.