Clear aligner usage by orthodontists and general dentists in South Africa
| dc.contributor.author | Fakir Yaseen | |
| dc.contributor.author | Shaikh Amenah | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-09-09T08:56:24Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-09-09T08:56:24Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: Clear aligner therapy (CAT) is an aesthetic appliance considered to be an alternative to conventional fixed orthodontics. Clear aligners are a sequence of preformed thermoplastic splints used by patients which are serially changed as the treatment is planned to move teeth in three dimensions. The usage of clear aligners has increased in recent times and the clinical practices of aligner users have been investigated in Australia, Britain and North America (Meade & Weir, 2022; Meade et al., 2023; Abu-Arqub et al., 2023). However, currently there are no published studies on clear aligner usage in the South African population. Aim: To describe the use of CAT by general dentists and specialist orthodontists in a South African sample. Methodology: A web-based survey was developed for orthodontists and general dentists to respond. The survey was adapted from a validated tool published by Meade et al. (2023). The questionnaire was distributed to members of the South African Society of Orthodontists and the South African Dental Association via the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) platform. The required sample size was 101 respondents. Results: The response rate achieved was 56,83 %. The prevalence of CAT usage among the surveyed respondents was 32.7%, with specialist orthodontists exhibiting a significantly higher likelihood of utilizing this treatment modality compared to general dentists, as evidenced by an odds ratio of 7.7 (95% confidence interval: 2.99 to 19.6; p<0.001). Among the participants, Spark Clear Aligners® (Ormco Corporation, Orange, CA, USA) emerged as the preferred CAT system, chosen by 44.1% of respondents. Notably, the quality of digital treatment planning was identified as the most influential factor in the selection of a particular CAT brand, while case suitability and complexity played critical roles in the decision to offer CAT to patients. Respondents indicated a greater inclination to treat adult patients using CAT and a significant majority expressed comfort in managing mild crowding cases using CAT, although they reported less confidence in addressing severely crowded cases with aligners. Furthermore, a substantial portion of clinicians (56%) indicated that premolar extractions were not considered suitable adjuncts to aligner therapy, stating they never combined these treatments. Opinions regarding aligner change protocols were divided, with 47% favouring a weekly schedule and 50% opting for a fortnightly approach. Additionally, most clinicians reported that fixed appliance therapy (FAT) yielded better treatment outcomes compared to CAT. In terms of retention appliances, a thermoplastic retainer was favoured by 56% of respondents for the maxilla, while preferences for the mandible were evenly split between thermoplastic (35%) and bonded retainers (35%). The predominant barrier to the adoption of CAT, identified by 67% of clinicians who did not utilize this treatment modality, was patient compliance. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | N/A | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10566/20851 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of the Western Cape | |
| dc.relation.ispartofseries | N/A | |
| dc.subject | Clear Aligners | |
| dc.subject | South African Orthodontist | |
| dc.subject | General Dentist | |
| dc.subject | Fixed Appliance Therapy | |
| dc.subject | Spark | |
| dc.subject | Invisalign | |
| dc.title | Clear aligner usage by orthodontists and general dentists in South Africa | |
| dc.type | Thesis |