Direct vs Indirect In-House Clear Aligners vs Fixed Appliances in Orthodontic Treatment

Clear aligner therapy has become increasingly popular as an esthetic alternative toconventional braces in orthodontic treatment. While clear aligners are traditionallymanufactured by commercial laboratories using a thermoforming technique, recent advancesin 3D printing technology now allow clinicians to produce aligners directly in their ownclinic, either by printing the aligner itself (direct method) or by printing a model andthen thermoforming the aligner over it (indirect method)." "This study compares threeapproaches to orthodontic treatment in patients with mild to moderate dental crowding whodo not require tooth extraction: clear aligners produced directly in‐house using 3Dprinting with a shape‐memory resin, clear aligners produced indirectly in‐house using a3D‐printed model and thermoforming, and conventional fixed orthodontic treatment withmetal brackets and wires." "A total of 36 patients aged 12 to 30 years were randomlyassigned to one of these three treatment groups, and 33 patients completed the study.Treatment quality was evaluated using the American Board of Orthodontics ObjectiveGrading System (ABO‐OGS), an objective scoring method based on dental models obtained atthe end of treatment. The total duration of treatment, from the start of active treatmentto its completion, was also compared among the three groups." "The findings of this studymay help clinicians and patients better understand the advantages and limitations ofin‐house clear aligner production compared to conventional fixed appliances, particularlyregarding treatment efficiency and duration.