Color Stability and Fluorescence Properties of Two Aligner Attachment Composites

Evaluation of Fluorescent Properties and Color Stability of 2 Different Composite Materials Used For Clear Aligner Attachments

This split mouth study aims to evaluate whether 2 different composite materials used for making clear aligner attachments change color over time and do they have different fluorescent characteristics when illuminated with ultraviolet light.

While bonding the attachments, a coin toss will determine which composite resin will be used for upper right segment. The remaining quadrants will be bonded with alternating composite resin. After bonding extraoral photographs under ultraviolet light with cheek retractors will be taken for fluorescence evaluation. Intraoral scans will be performed immediately after bonding and every two months up to six months for evaluating color change.

In this study, attachments will be divided into two groups in a split-mouth design. To ensure randomization, dental arch will be divided into four quadrants, and the composite to be applied to the upper-right quadrant will be determined by a coin toss. The alternative composite will then be applied to the opposing quadrant. Two routinely available flowable composite materials in our department, manufactured specifically for clear aligner attachments, will be used (AlignerFlow LC, VOCO GmbH, Cuxhaven, Germany; AlignerConnect, GC, Tokyo, Japan). Following the application of the materials in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions, excess material will be removed under ultraviolet light using a carbide bur. Patients will be instructed to change their clear aligners every 10 days and wear them for at least 20 hours per day. Patients will be asked to remove the aligners only during meals, brush their teeth after eating, and reinsert them immediately. Oral hygiene instruction will be provided to all patients.After bonding, extraoral photographs will be captured under UV light and saved in JPEG format. These photographs will be transferred into the "Adobe Photoshop CC 2020" software. Brightness differences between the tooth surface and the attachment surface will be measured using the "Color Picker" tool within the software. Immediately after attachment placement and at two-month intervals throughout six months, digital scans will be obtained using an intraoral scanner (Trios 3, 3Shape Trios A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark). Using the shade-selection feature of the software, attachment shades will be recorded.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Receiving Invisalign treatment at the Clinic of the Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Marmara University
• Mild to moderate crowding
• Exhibiting good oral hygiene
• No active dental caries
• Voluntarily agreeing to participate in the study and signing the written informed consent form
• Having no history of any syndrome, systemic disease, or allergy

Exclusion Criteria:

• Being pregnant or lactating
• Presenting with advanced periodontal disease of a severity that could affect orthodontic treatment
• Having prosthetic restorations within the oral cavity
• Presenting with white spot lesions prior to orthodontic treatment