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Objectives

In 2013, a novel material SmartTrack® was introduced to replace the previous material used for Invisalign® aligners. We conducted this study to test how this transition was accepted by patients during ongoing Invisalign® treatment.

Methods

We surveyed a total of 72 patients (68% women, 32% men, mean age: 29.3±9.2 years) who had worn the new material for a mean of 6 months. They completed a questionnaire with 25 items that compared both materials in terms of pain, pressure upon insertion, comfort, mucosal irritation, phonetics, discoloration, and taste.

Results

On a numerical rating scale (NRS) ranging from 0 to 10, the new aligner material was rated by the respondents to cause significantly (p< 0.001) less maximum pain than the old material (2.8 vs. 3.8). Significant reductions were obtained for duration of pain (p< 0.001) and duration of pressure (2.5 vs. 1.9 days; p= 0.001) upon insertion of the …