A Comparison of the Alignment Achieved Using Computer-guided Indirect Bonding of Orthodontic Brackets to Conventional Appliance Placement

Overview

Technological advances have made computer aided orthodontic treatment planning possible. 3D dental scanners and software make it possible to design and approve the outcome before treatment begins. Manufacturers have provided different customized appliance systems that would help practitioners achieve those computer-designed outcomes. The purpose of this study is to determine the accuracy of computer-guided indirect bonding of orthodontic brackets at achieving the predicted alignment and comparing that to the accuracy of conventional orthodontic bracket placement at achieving a predetermined goal. The results of this study will help orthodontists and patients know if there is an advantage to using custom appliances. The study will be a prospective clinical study and will include a total of 60 arches from 30 patients enrolled at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. 15 patients will be assigned to each of the two study groups (Motion View or control). Both groups will have a 3D intra-oral scan to measure the initial discrepancy and determine the computer-simulated design that the orthodontist believes is the optimized outcome. At the end of each patient's participation, a 3D intraoral scan will be taken and used to assess intra-arch leveling and alignment using ABO's objective grading system's criteria for alignment, marginal ridges and buccolingual inclination. Each arch will then be superimposed on the predicted outcome to determine how accurate each system was at achieving the planned movements in all 3 dimensions. We hypothesize that the accuracy of computer-guided indirect bonding (Motion View) at achieving the predicted outcomes will differ in comparison to the accuracy of conventional orthodontic bracket placement at achieving a predetermined goal.