Title
Comparison of maxillary arch expansion using clear aligners with and without composite attachments - A finite element study
Authors
Sanitha Dhan*, Vinaya S. Pai, Mrunmayee Gholap, P. Siri Krishna & Manjunath Hegde
Affiliation
Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Bangalore Institute of Dental Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India; *Corresponding author
Sanitha Dhan - E-mail: drsanithashinoj@gmail.com; Phone: +91 9611962545
Vinaya S. Pai - E-mail: principal@bids.edu; Phone: +91 9844198098
Mrunmayee Gholap - E-mail: mrunmayee.ghp@gmail.com; Phone: +91 9901831944
P. Siri Krishna - E-mail: sirykrish@yahoo.com; Phone: +91 9980500000
Manjunath Hegde - E-mail: 21.hegde@gmail.com; Phone: +91 9902878407
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received June 1, 2026; Revised June 30,
2026; Accepted June 30, 2026, Published June 30, 2026
Abstract
The influence of composite attachment geometry, placement and aligner thickness on maxillary expansion in clear aligner therapy remains inadequately understood. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluated tooth displacement and periodontal ligament stress using different attachment designs (ellipsoidal and rectangular), placements (buccal and lingual) and thermoplastic aligner thicknesses (0.5 mm and 0.75 mm). A three-dimensional finite element model of the maxillary arch was analyzed using ANSYS R18.1 to simulate expansion mechanics. Maximum displacement of the canine and first premolar was observed with a 0.75 mm aligner without attachments, while the second premolar and molar demonstrated greater expansion and higher stress concentrations with rectangular buccal attachments and 0.75 mm aligners. The null hypothesis was rejected, indicating that attachment design, placement and aligner thickness significantly affect maxillary expansion biomechanics.
Keywords
Clear aligners, composite attachments, aligner thickness, maxillary expansion, finite element analysis (FEA), orthodontic aligner biomechanics
Citation
Dhan et al. Bioinformation 22(6): 3673-3680 (2026)
Edited by
Neelam Goyal & Shruti Dabi
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
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.
