Clear Aligners and Bruxism: A Systematic Review - PubMed
7 hours ago
- #clear-aligners
- #bruxism
- #orthodontics
- Bruxism is a masticatory muscle activity occurring during sleep (SB) or wakefulness (AB), not classified as a movement or sleep disorder.
- Clear aligner therapy modifies occlusal contacts and mandibular dynamics, potentially influencing bruxism behaviors.
- Systematic review aimed to assess if clear aligners are neutral, protective, or a risk factor for bruxism.
- Eleven studies involving 818 patients (72.8% female) were analyzed, with most suggesting a neutral effect of clear aligners on bruxism.
- For SB, aligners reduced tonic contractions but had inconsistent effects on phasic activity and no change in overall SB index.
- AB was generally unaffected, though one study noted reduced self-reported parafunctions with altered muscle recruitment.
- Mixed/self-reported bruxism outcomes were conflicting, with some studies showing symptom improvement and others reporting increased prevalence during aligner therapy.
- Methodological heterogeneity and risk of bias were notable, preventing meta-analysis.
- GRADE certainty was moderate for randomized studies and very low for non-randomized studies.
- Current evidence is limited and heterogeneous, with aligners not yet classified as protective or harmful for bruxism.