Comparison of the effect of invisible braces and conventional braces in treatment of adult malocclusion

Objective To compare the curative effect of invisible braces and conventional fixed appliances in the treatment of malocclusion in adults. Methods From January, 2015 to December, 2016, 122 adults with malocclusion diagnosed in our department were selected as the subjects. There were 34 males and 88 females. The average age was (28.0±4.5) years. According to the wishes of the patients, 54 cases were treated with fixed appliances (fixed appliances group), and the other 68 cases were treated with invisible orthodontic appliances (invisible orthodontic appliance group). The observation indicators included treatment completion time (tilt teeth correction, transposition teeth torsion), treatment effect and patient satisfaction. Results The correction time (week), orthodontic time (week) and the average time of treatment (week) in the fixed appliances group were 30.81±3.04), (27.46±4.22) and (76.35±8.29), respectively, which were longer than those of the invisible orthodontic appliance group[(15.96±3.03), (18.47±3.50) and (42.55±3.68)], respectively, P<0.05. In the fixed appliances group and invisible orthodontic appliance group, the total score of the correction effect (scores) were (29.36±2.21) and (29.98±2.60), respectively, the difference was not statistically significant (t=1.423, P>0.05). In the invisible orthodontic appliance group, the chewing function (8.47±1.26), language function (9.13±1.34), beauty (8.24±1.45), and comfort (9.35±0.48) were higher than those of the fixed appliances group[chewable function (6.79±1.05), language function (7.45±1.30), beauty (6.08±1.47), and comfort (9.35±0.48)respectively (all P<0.05)]. Conclusion Both invisible orthodontic appliances and conventional fixed appliances can obtain satisfactory curative effect, but the treatment time of invisible orthodontic appliance is shorter and the patient's satisfaction is higher.