Knowledge, Awareness, and Practices about Traditional Orthodontic Braces Vs Invisalign Aligners among Dental Practitioners in Pakistan: A Cross-sectional Study
Main Article Content
Keywords
Orthodontic traditional braces, aligners, KAP, Pakistan, dentists
Abstract
Conventional fixed orthodontics are being replaced by the clear aligners and are becoming popular among the practitioners. However, it is unclear how Pakistani practitioners are recognizing its effectiveness. This study discusses and evaluates the use of traditional practices and clear aligners amongst the clinical practitioners.
Methods: To achieve our objective, we conducted a survey by questioning 328 dental practitioners in Pakistan to gauge the effectiveness of clear aligners amongst the patients. The results are recorded though the statistics of the responses and by developing a Chi-square tests indicating the practitioners age, experience (before and after the adopting aligners), and gender.
Results: The statistics illustrated that majority of the practitioners were female (68.3%) that aged between 20-30 years. In addition, 78.4% were the general practitioners and amongst them 47.6% had above five years of experience. The results indicated that 56.4% of the practitioners commended the use of aligners, however, 32.6% considered it less effective than braces. In addition, 91.8% mutually agreed that the aligners suite mild to moderate malocclusions. Statistics also showed that 51.2% of the adults recommended aligners and 58.5% adolescents recommended braces.
Conclusion: To conclude, there was a balanced approach of using aligners and braces amongst the practitioners. It is also determined that the aligners are useful for aesthetics, hygiene, and compliance, whereas, the braces were suggested for young patients with complex dental problems.
References
2. Hameed, R, F, S, , Munawar, et al. Prevalence of Various Malocclusions Among Patients Presenting at Dental OPD of a Tertiary Care Hospital. APMC 2023:17(3). https://doi.org/10.29054/APMC/2023.1125
3. Lombardo G, Vena F, Negri P, Pagano S, Barilotti C, Paglia L, et al. Worldwide prevalence of malocclusion in the different stages of dentition: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Paediatr Dent. 2020;21(2):115-22. https://doi.org/10.4103/jos.jos_30_23
4. Kublashvili A, Mangui G. Conventional Braces and Clear Aligners: An Evaluation of Outcome and Treatment2024. https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.1197
5. AlMogbel A. Clear Aligner Therapy: Up to date review article. J Orthod Sci. 2023;12:37. https://doi.org/10.4103/jos.jos_30_23
6. Weir T. Clear aligners in orthodontic treatment. Australian dental journal. 2017;62:58-62. https://doi.org/10.1111/adj.12480.
7. Alam MK, Hajeer MY, Alahmed MA, Alrubayan SM, Almasri MF. A Comparative Study on the Efficiency of Clear Aligners Versus Conventional Braces in Adult Orthodontic Patients. Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences. 2024;16(Suppl 4):S3637-S9. https://doi.org/10.4103/jos.jos_30_23
8. Flores-Mir C, Brandelli J, Pacheco-Pereira C. Patient satisfaction and quality of life status after 2 treatment modalities: Invisalign and conventional fixed appliances. American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. 2018;154(5):639-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajodo.2018.01.013
9. Willems G, Carels CE. [Developments in fixed orthodontic appliances]. Ned Tijdschr Tandheelkd. 2000;107(4):155-9. PMID for the article is 11382972
10. Naureen S, Kiani HG, Asad S. Recent Orthodontic Advancements: A Systematic Review. Pakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry. 2024;13(4):168-78. https://doi.org/10.4103/jos.jos_30_23
11. Gao M, Yan X, Zhao R, Shan Y, Chen Y, Jian F, et al. Comparison of pain perception, anxiety, and impacts on oral health-related quality of life between patients receiving clear aligners and fixed appliances during the initial stage of orthodontic treatment. European Journal of Orthodontics. 2021;43(3):353-9. https://doi.org/10.1093/ejo/cjaa037
12. Khan EB, Muhammad T, Ghaffar H, Jehan NS, Rashid HU, Ahmed M, et al. Comparison of perception and knowledge between orthodontists and general dentists regarding the use of clear aligners. Biological and Clinical Sciences Research Journal. 2024;2024(1):1004. https://doi.org/10.54112/bcsrj.v2024i1.1004
13. Selvaraj V, Manopriya RM, Kaneini Shree N, Mohamed Rafi SN, Dhanalakshmi SV. Knowledge, attitude, and practices of clear aligners among general dentist and non-orthodontic postgraduates–A cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Romanian JouRnal of Stomatology. 2023;69(4):256. https://doi.org/10.37897/RJS.2023.4.12
14. Alsultan M, Alqefari JN, Almotairy N. Knowledge differences between general practitioners and orthodontists about Invisalign clear aligner treatment–a cross-sectional survey-based study. Clinical and Investigative Orthodontics. 2024;83(3):106-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/27705781.2024.2366747
15. Chawla S, Deshmukh S, Bhosale V, Rodrigues L, Agrawal J, Agrawal MS, et al. An Umbrella Review for Assessment of Treatment Effectiveness of Clear Aligners Compared to Conventional Fixed Appliances in Orthodontic Patients.0(0):03015742241270312. https://doi.org/10.1177/03015742241270312
16. Alwafi A, Bichu YM, Avanessian A, Adel SM, Vaid NR, Zou B. Overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses assessing the predictability and clinical effectiveness of clear aligner therapy. Dentistry Review. 2023;3(4):100074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dentre.2023.100074
17. Jaber ST, Hajeer MY, Burhan AS, Latifeh Y. The effect of treatment with clear aligners versus fixed appliances on oral health-related quality of life in patients with severe crowding: a one-year follow-up randomized controlled clinical trial. Cureus. 2022;14(5). doi: 10.7759/cureus.25472
18. Livas C, Pazhman FS, Ilbeyli Z, Pandis N. Perceived esthetics and value of clear aligner therapy systems: A survey among dental school instructors and undergraduate students. Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics. 2023;28(03):e232225. https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-6709.
19. Dipalma G, Inchingolo AD, Fiore A, Balestriere L, Nardelli P, Casamassima L, et al. The Differential Impact of Clear Aligners and Fixed Orthodontic Appliances on Periodontal Health: A Systematic Review. 2025;12(2):138. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12020138
20. Tania M, Veerasankar S, Ponniah H, Dhayananth LX, Preeti R, Missier MS. Comparison of Patient Satisfaction between Invisible Appliance and Fixed Orthodontic Appliances – A Systematic Review. 2024;16(Suppl 2):S1017-S21. DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_1172_23
21. Farhan T, Amin F, Amin R, Mahmood SJ, Farooqui WA, Zafar MS, Kumar N. Evaluating the physicomechanical characteristics of cetylpyridinium chloride-modified resin-based dental composites following short-and medium-term storage regimes: an in-vitro study. BMC Oral Health. 2025 Dec 6;26(1):8. PMID: 41353328; PMCID: PMC12766941. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-07114-8
22. Khan TU, Ali F, Rasheed S, Saleem B, Bai D. Clear Aligners vs. Fixed Orthodontic Appliances: Effects on Periodontal Health and Plaque Accumulation. Innovative Research Journal of Dentistry. 2023;1(1):10-7. https://doi.org/10.62497/irjd.97
23. Malik B, Devi V, Darakhshan, Muzaffar I, Farhan T, Farrukh M. Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of bioactive restorative materials among dental students and dentists in pakistan: a cross-sectional study. FMHR [Internet]. 2025 Sep. 24 [cited 2026 Jan. 23];3(7):954-65. Available from: https://fmhr.net/index.php/fmhr/article/view/1187
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Tooba Farhan MDS
Department of Science of Dental Materials, Jinnah Medical and Dental College, Karachi 74200, Pakistan
Amina Sohail BDS
Frontier Medical College, Abottabad 22010, Pakistan
Maryam Fayyaz Malik
Institute of dentistry CMH; Lahore 54810, Pakistan
BDS Mona Jamal
Peshawar Medical College, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
BDS Amma Rehmat
Isra Dental College Hyderabad 75500, Pakistan
BDS Ghazala Naveed BDS
Islam Dental College Sialkot 51310, Pakistan
