Oral health-related quality of life and pain perception among adult patients treated with clear aligners: a longitudinal prospective study.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the impact on Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) and pain perception between adult patients undergoing fixed conventional bracket treatment (FCBT) and those undergoing clear aligner treatment (CAT) during the first three months of orthodontic treatment (OT).

METHOD

OHRQoL was measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-S14 Ortho), pain perception was evaluated by the visual analog scale (VAS). The on-line questionnaires were administered immediately before OT (T0), 24-48 hours (T1), one month (T2), and three months (T3) after appliance installation. Group 1 (n = 48; 31.21 ± 11.47 years) was comprised of patients with FCBT from an orthodontic program. Group 2 (n=44; 38.30 ± 11.91 years) was comprised of patients with CAT from a private office. Chi-squared, Mann-Whitney U and Friedman tests were used for analysis.

RESULTS

In the comparison between the groups, a statistically significant difference was observed at T0, with the CAT group showing higher OHIP-S14 Ortho scores than the FCBT group (P=0.0237). However, no significant differences were found at T1, T2, or T3. OHIP-S14 Ortho scores in the FCBT group increased significantly (P<0.05) at T1-T0 and T3-T0, while CAT scores decreased. However, this trend reversed at T2-T1. Pain perceptions were lower in the CAT group at T0, T1, and T3 and at T2-T1 (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

In the early stages of OT, the CAT group demonstrated improvements in QoL compared to baseline, while the FCBT group showed a decrease. The negative impact on OHRQoL and pain perception over the three months of follow-up tended to decrease after 24-48 hours in both the FCBT and CAT groups. Pain perception was more negatively affected in FCBT than in the CAT group.