The outcome and stability of anterior open bite treatment with clear aligners in adults

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the outcome and stability of the anterior open bite treatment with clear aligners. Methods: Fifty-two adult anterior open bite patients who underwent nonextraction clear aligner treatment were enrolled. All cases were retained with upper and lower fixed and vacuum-formed retainers. Eleven cephalometric measurements at pretreatment (T1), end-of-active-treatment (T2), and at least 1-year post-treatment (T3) were evaluated. The changes during the treatment and retention period were calculated. Results: Mean end-of-treatment (T2) overbite was 1.1 ± 0.7 mm. The mean change in overbite during treatment was 3.3 ± 1.5 mm. Mean retention (T3) overbite was 1.3 ± 0.9 mm, with a mean increase in overbite of 0.2 ± 0.5 mm (P = 0.59) during the retention period. None of the eleven cephalometric measurements showed significant change during the retention period. Conclusions: Anterior open bite was successfully corrected in all the patients (n = 52) with clear aligners. When retained with upper and lower fixed retainers and upper and lower vacuum-formed retainers, there was no significant change in cephalometric measurements during retention period. Treatment stability could not be predicted using cephalometric measurements at pre-treatment, the change of cephalometric variables during treatment, retention time, or previous orthodontic treatment