Budhraja Simran Neeraj, Nanjannawar Lalita Girish, Agrawal Jiwanasha Manish, Shetti Shraddha Subhash, Fulari Sangamesh Gurunath, Patil Harshal Santosh
Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Bharati Vidyapeeth Dental College and Hospital, Miraj, Maharashtra, India.
Dent Res J (Isfahan). 2025 Jul 24;22:29. doi: 10.4103/drj.drj_367_24. eCollection 2025.
Clear aligner therapy (CAT) has gained popularity as an alternative to Conventional Orthodontic Treatments (COT) for its potential to reduce pain and discomfort. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare pain perception and surface electromyography (sEMG) in masticatory muscles between CAT and COT groups.
A comprehensive search of multiple electronic databases was conducted to identify relevant studies. The PRISMA guidelines were employed to ensure transparency and completeness in reporting and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024556800).
Nine studies were considered for inclusion. The meta-analysis revealed a nonsignificant difference in Visual Analog Scale scores between CAT and COT groups, with a mean difference (MD) of -2.77 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -7.25, 1.71), = 0.23. The heterogeneity test revealed significant heterogeneity among studies (² = 100%). In contrast, the sEMG activity scores showed a nonsignificant difference between CAT and COT groups (MD = -0.80, = 0.60). In addition, the odds ratio for patients requiring analgesics was 0.23 (95% CI: 0.08, 0.65), = 0.005, suggesting a significant difference between CAT and COT groups.
The results suggest that CAT may be associated with improved patient outcomes, including reduced pain and discomfort, as well as lower analgesic consumption. However, the evidence is not conclusive, and further research is needed to fully understand the differences between CAT and COT.
由于隐形矫治器疗法（CAT）有可能减轻疼痛和不适，作为传统正畸治疗（COT）的替代方法，它越来越受欢迎。本系统评价和荟萃分析旨在比较CAT组和COT组咀嚼肌的疼痛感知和表面肌电图（sEMG）。
对多个电子数据库进行全面检索，以识别相关研究。采用PRISMA指南确保报告的透明度和完整性，并在PROSPERO（CRD42024556800）中注册。
九项研究被纳入分析。荟萃分析显示，CAT组和COT组之间的视觉模拟量表得分无显著差异，平均差异（MD）为-2.77（95%置信区间[CI]：-7.25，1.71），P = 0.23。异质性检验显示研究间存在显著异质性（I² = 100%）。相比之下，sEMG活动得分在CAT组和COT组之间无显著差异（MD = -0.80，P = 0.60）。此外，需要镇痛药的患者的比值比为0.23（95%CI：0.08，0.65），P = 0.005，表明CAT组和COT组之间存在显著差异。
结果表明，CAT可能与改善患者预后相关，包括减轻疼痛和不适，以及降低镇痛药的使用量。然而，证据并不确凿，需要进一步研究以充分了解CAT和COT之间的差异。
