Comparative assessment of external apical root resorption between subjects treated with clear aligners and fixed orthodontic appliances: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

This review aims to collate and analyze the existing evidence on the comparison of external apical root resorption (EARR) in subjects treated with clear aligners (CAs) and fixed appliances (FA). An electronic search was conducted in six databases for articles published in all languages until July 2023. Studies that evaluated EARR in subjects treated with CAs and FAs were included. The RoB 2 tool for RCTs and the ROBINS-I tool for non-randomized studies were used to analyze the risk of bias (ROB). A random effects meta-analysis was performed to assess EARR extent in maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth for subjects treated with CAs and FAs. Ten studies (eight retrospective, one RCT, and one CCT) were included in this review, out of which six studies reported a moderate ROB, one reported a serious ROB, and three reported a low ROB on qualitative analysis. The quantitative analysis of six studies revealed a significant intergroup difference (P<0.05) in the mean EARR for maxillary central (SMD=-0.62, P<0.00001) and lateral incisors (SMD=-0.47, P=0.01) with a moderate heterogeneity (I²=56%), as well as the mandibular central incisors (SMD=-0.27, P=0.04) with high heterogeneity (I²=79%). EARR was lower in subjects treated with CAs than FAs. A moderate quality of the available evidence suggests that EARR was less evident in subjects treated with CAs when compared with FAs.

Keywords: Clear aligners, External apical root resorption, Fixed appliances, Malocclusion, Orthodontic patients