Effect of Invisalign^® Aligners on Periodontal Tissues

Gingival inflammation during orthodontics with fixed braces is a common and generally reversible occurrence. There is no data on gingival inflammation using Invisalign® aligners. Objective: To determine the effect of orthodontic tooth movement on periodontal soft tissue using Invisalign®. Methods: As part of a clinical trial on measuring tooth movement using Invisalign® on 100 subjects, soft-tissue reaction was checked using papillary bleeding score (PBS) and periodontal pocket depth (PD) at baseline and end of treatment. PBS was scored from 1-5 from premolar to premolar on both arches for 13 subjects. PD was measured at 6 sites on each tooth. Mean values were determined for maxillary posteriors (mxp) and anteriors (mxa), as well as mandibular posteriors (mdp) and anteriors (mda). Change in PBS and PD were examined using Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: Change in PBS scores and PD showed improvement in all areas. PBS mean change and p-values for each area were mxa 0.615(0.0078); mxp 0.731(0.0059); mda 0.077(0.62); mdp 0.526(0.0215). PD mean change and p-values for each area were mxa 0.148(0.11); mxp 0.144 (0.0488); mda 0.192 (0.19); mdp 0.192 (0.0488).Conclusions: Periodontal tissue health as measured by papillary bleeding score and periodontal pocket depth improved with use of Invisalign® aligners during orthodontic treatment. Supported by Align Technology, Inc.