Do-it-yourself aligners – safe, cheaper option or hazardous gamble?

Abstract

Background: Online businesses that actively promote DIY (Do it yourself) aligners and DIY braces on social media have caused a significant shift in patient attitudes toward orthodontic treatment in particular. Introduction: With the development of 3D printing and aligner technology, DIY orthodontics made the transition to home aligners/DIY aligners, in which patients were asked to send dental impressions on a preselected tray or have their homes scanned by non dental professionals, who then made the appropriate aligners without undergoing a clinical and radiographic evaluation by a qualified orthodontist. Aim and Objective: To conduct a survey between general dental practitioner and orthodontists assessing the esthetic outcomes of pre and post orthodontic treatment photographs posted by DIY aligner companies in their website. Materials and Methods: 15 random pre and post treatment photographs posted by DIY aligner companies for their promotion in their websites were chosen. Also, 15 random pre and post treatment photographs were chosen from professionals. These photographs were jumbled and a comparative survey to assess the esthetic perception of 110 general practitioners and 110 orthodontists with the help of Likert’s scale was created and sent via Google form to them. Result: Descriptive statistics was obtained from google form; the results obtained were statistically analysed with Chi-Square test. Likert’s scale favoured the photographs of treatment rendered by Professionals and were considered as best. Conclusion: Although, DIY aligners may sound attractive and cost effective, when compared to the therapy provided by orthodontists, it causes substantial and permanent damage to the tooth and gums, as well as being cosmetically unappealing.