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Marginal Biofilm Distribution and Periodontal Response to Supragingival and Juxtagingival Aligner Designs (BIOFILM-ALIGN)

Marginal Biofilm Distribution and Periodontal Response to Supragingival and Juxtagingival Aligner Designs: A Prospective Split-Mouth Clinical Study

  • This prospective, longitudinal, within-person (split-mouth) clinical study evaluates the influence of two clear aligner trimming-line designs on marginal soft-tissue biofilm distribution and periodontal tissue response over a six-month period.
  • Two trimming-line designs are compared. The supragingival design has a straight, horizontal edge that extends approximately 2 mm onto the marginal gingiva, resting in direct contact with the gingival surface but not entering the gingival sulcus. The juxtagingival design follows the scalloped contour of the gingival margin and terminates at the free gingival margin, without covering the gingiva and without entering the sulcus.
  • Each participant receives both designs simultaneously, one per dental arch, and therefore serves as their own control. The assignment of each design to an arch is determined by the treating clinician according to the orthodontic treatment indications and is not randomized.
  • The primary outcome is the percentage of sites with bleeding on probing per arch at six months. Secondary outcomes are bleeding on probing at three months, mean probing depth, maximum probing depth, and the Turesky-Quigley-Hein plaque index, with three exploratory photographic soft-tissue variables describing marginal gingival plaque presence, vestibular interdental papilla plaque presence, and the marginal demarcation pattern. Clinical and photographic assessments are performed at baseline (before aligner delivery), at three months, and at six months.
  • All aligners are fabricated from a tri-layer clear aligner material (CA Pro, SCHEU-DENTAL GmbH, Iserlohn, Germany) by a single orthodontic laboratory.

Panoramica dello studio

Descrizione dettagliata

  • BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
  • Clear aligner therapy is widely used in contemporary orthodontics. The geometry of the aligner trimming line at the gingival margin differs between two commonly used designs: a supragingival design that covers a band of marginal gingiva, and a juxtagingival design that follows the gingival contour. Biomechanical investigations have characterized how trimming-line geometry affects force transmission and retention, and a limited number of clinical reports have examined its periodontal effects. However, direct clinical comparisons of trimming-line geometry on periodontal outcomes remain scarce and have been limited largely to adolescent populations and to conventional periodontal indices; within-person comparisons in adults, and the distribution of biofilm on the marginal soft tissues, remain insufficiently characterized. This study addresses that gap.
  • THE TWO TRIMMING-LINE DESIGNS The supragingival design has a straight, horizontal edge that extends approximately 2 mm onto the marginal gingiva, resting in direct contact with the gingival surface but not entering the gingival sulcus. The juxtagingival design follows the scalloped contour of the gingival margin and terminates at the free gingival margin, without covering the gingiva and without entering the sulcus. Both designs are produced from the same CE-marked tri-layer clear aligner material (CA Pro, SCHEU-DENTAL GmbH, Iserlohn, Germany) and are standard variations used in routine orthodontic practice. The intervention under study is the trimming-line design, a manufacturing parameter, not the aligner material or device itself.
  • STUDY DESIGN This is a prospective, longitudinal, within-person (split-mouth) interventional study. Each participant receives both trimming-line designs simultaneously, one on the maxillary arch and one on the mandibular arch, and therefore serves as their own control. The unit of comparison is the dental arch within the participant. The split-mouth design controls for inter-individual variation in systemic health, oral hygiene, salivary characteristics, and baseline periodontal status. The within-person (split-mouth) design was chosen to maximize statistical efficiency in an exploratory clinical evaluation, with each participant serving as their own control.
  • ALLOCATION RULE (NON-RANDOMIZED) Allocation of each design to an arch is not randomized. It follows a pre-specified rule based on the orthodontic treatment plan. The primary criterion is the magnitude of planned dental intrusion per arch, derived from the digital treatment setup prepared before aligner fabrication: the arch with the greater planned intrusion receives the supragingival design. When planned intrusion is equal on both arches or absent, a pre-specified alternating sequence in enrollment order is applied as a tiebreaker, with the first such participant receiving the supragingival design on the maxillary arch, the next on the mandibular arch, and so on. This produces an approximately balanced arch-level distribution. Planned intrusion magnitude is used only as the basis for this allocation rule; it is not entered as a covariate in the analysis, and the study does not analyze the relationship between intrusion magnitude and hard-tissue outcomes (root or alveolar bone).
  • CLINICAL AND PHOTOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENTS Assessments are performed at baseline before aligner delivery (T0), at three months (T1, plus or minus 7 days), and at six months (T2, plus or minus 7 days). At each visit, full-mouth periodontal charting (probing depth and bleeding on probing) is performed first, on undisclosed tissue, by a calibrated examiner who is blinded to the trimming-line allocation; conventional plaque assessment is then performed using a two-tone disclosing agent and the Turesky-Quigley-Hein plaque index; and standardized intraoral photographs are obtained afterwards.
  • EXPLORATORY PHOTOGRAPHIC VARIABLES Three photographic soft-tissue variables, namely marginal gingival plaque presence, vestibular interdental papilla plaque presence, and the marginal demarcation pattern, were developed for this study to describe the distribution of biofilm on the marginal gingival soft tissues, a dimension not captured by conventional hard-surface plaque indices. These variables are designated as exploratory. The photographs are de-identified, coded, and presented in randomized order to two independent blinded examiners, and inter-examiner agreement is assessed using the Cohen kappa coefficient.
  • ANALYSIS The primary comparison is the within-person, between-arch difference in the percentage of sites with bleeding on probing at six months (T2), with baseline (T0) as the reference and each participant serving as their own control. The three-month (T1) assessment is analyzed as a secondary, intermediate time point describing the trajectory of periodontal response. The secondary validated outcomes, probing depth and the plaque index, are analyzed within the same within-person framework across all time points. The exploratory photographic variables are summarized descriptively, and their effect estimates are reported to inform the design of future confirmatory studies. All tests are two-sided, with the significance level set at 0.05.
  • SAFETY Both trimming-line designs are standard variations used in routine clinical orthodontic practice with a CE-marked aligner material, and neither constitutes a novel or experimental device. Untoward periodontal or soft-tissue events occurring during the study are recorded at each scheduled visit and may be reported by participants between visits. Predefined clinical criteria are applied for the withdrawal of a participant when continued participation would no longer be in the participant's clinical interest.
  • LIMITATIONS Allocation is not randomized and is tied to the planned intrusion per arch. Because intrusion magnitude is not adjusted for in the analysis, between-arch differences may partly reflect the clinically driven allocation rather than the trimming-line design alone; this is acknowledged in the interpretation of the results. The split-mouth design reduces inter-individual variation but cannot exclude arch-level biomechanical differences other than the trimming-line design.

Tipo di studio

Interventistico

Iscrizione (Effettivo)

20

Fase

  • Non applicabile

Contatti e Sedi

Questa sezione fornisce i recapiti di coloro che conducono lo studio e informazioni su dove viene condotto lo studio.

Luoghi di studio

    • Sibiu County
      • Sibiu, Sibiu County, Romania, 550027
        • Aorys Clinic

Criteri di partecipazione

I ricercatori cercano persone che corrispondano a una certa descrizione, chiamata criteri di ammissibilità. Alcuni esempi di questi criteri sono le condizioni generali di salute di una persona o trattamenti precedenti.

Criteri di ammissibilità

Età idonea allo studio

  • Adulto
  • Adulto più anziano

Accetta volontari sani

Descrizione

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Permanent dentition
  • Adult patients
  • Mild to moderate crowding not requiring extractions for orthodontic purposes

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Mouth breathing (may influence the status of the marginal periodontium)
  • Periodontal involvement (gingivitis or periodontitis)
  • Presence of fixed prosthetic restorations with incorrect marginal adaptation
  • Deficient oral hygiene

Piano di studio

Questa sezione fornisce i dettagli del piano di studio, compreso il modo in cui lo studio è progettato e ciò che lo studio sta misurando.

Come è strutturato lo studio?

Dettagli di progettazione

  • Scopo principale: Scienza basilare
  • Assegnazione: Non randomizzato
  • Modello interventistico: Assegnazione incrociata
  • Mascheramento: Separare

Armi e interventi

Gruppo di partecipanti / Arm
Intervento / Trattamento
Sperimentale: Supragingival Trimming-Line Design
Dental arch fitted with a clear aligner trimmed with a supragingival straight-cut margin. The aligner edge extends approximately 2 mm onto the marginal gingiva, in direct contact with the gingival surface but without entering the gingival sulcus. Assigned to the arch with the greater planned intrusion; when planned intrusion is equal or absent on both arches, assignment follows a pre-specified alternating sequence in enrollment order.
Clear aligner trimmed with a supragingival straight-cut margin extending approximately 2 mm onto the marginal gingiva, in direct contact with the gingiva but not entering the sulcus. Fabricated from CA Pro tri-layer thermoplastic material (SCHEU-DENTAL GmbH, Iserlohn, Germany; CE-marked) by Orto Performance Orthodontic Laboratory, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The intervention under study is the trimming-line design, not the aligner material; material and thickness are identical to the comparator.
Comparatore attivo: Juxtagingival Festooned Trimming-Line Design
Contralateral dental arch, within the same participant, fitted with a clear aligner trimmed with a juxtagingival festooned margin that follows the scalloped contour of the gingival margin and terminates at the free gingival margin, without covering the gingiva and without entering the sulcus. Assigned to the arch with the lesser or no planned intrusion.
Clear aligner trimmed with a juxtagingival festooned margin following the scalloped gingival contour, terminating at the free gingival margin without covering the gingiva or entering the sulcus. Fabricated from CA Pro tri-layer thermoplastic material (SCHEU-DENTAL GmbH, Iserlohn, Germany; CE-marked) by Orto Performance Orthodontic Laboratory, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The intervention under study is the trimming-line design, not the aligner material; material and thickness are identical to the comparator.

Cosa sta misurando lo studio?

Misure di risultato primarie

Misura del risultato
Misura Descrizione
Lasso di tempo
Bleeding on probing at 6 months (percentage of sites per arch)
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0, before aligner delivery) and 6 months (T2)
Percentage of sites with bleeding on probing within each dental arch. Bleeding on probing is recorded as present or absent within approximately 10 to 15 seconds after gentle probing at six sites per tooth (mesiobuccal, mid-buccal, distobuccal, mesiolingual, mid-lingual, distolingual) using a calibrated periodontal probe. The percentage is calculated as the number of bleeding sites divided by the total number of scorable sites in the arch, multiplied by 100. The two arches within each participant are compared by trimming-line design. The primary endpoint is the within-person, between-arch difference at 6 months (T2), with baseline (T0) as the reference. The 3-month (T1) assessment is analyzed as a secondary, intermediate time point and does not contribute to the primary comparison.
Baseline (T0, before aligner delivery) and 6 months (T2)

Misure di risultato secondarie

Misura del risultato
Misura Descrizione
Lasso di tempo
Bleeding on probing at 3 months (intermediate, percentage of sites per arch)
Lasso di tempo: 3 months (T1)
Percentage of sites with bleeding on probing within each dental arch at the 3-month assessment, recorded and computed identically to the primary outcome (six sites per tooth, present or absent within approximately 10 to 15 seconds of gentle probing), compared between arches by trimming-line design. This intermediate time point describes the trajectory of periodontal response and is not the primary comparison.
3 months (T1)
Mean probing depth (per arch)
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2)
Arithmetic mean of probing depth values (mm) within each dental arch, measured at six sites per tooth using a calibrated periodontal probe, calculated separately for each arch and compared by trimming-line design.
Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2)
Maximum probing depth (per arch)
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2)
The greatest single probing depth value (mm) recorded within each dental arch, calculated separately for each arch and compared by trimming-line design.
Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2)
Turesky-Quigley-Hein plaque index (per arch)
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2)
Mean plaque score on the Turesky-Quigley-Hein ordinal scale (0 to 5), recorded on the vestibular surfaces of teeth after application of a two-tone plaque-disclosing agent (Rondell, Directa AB, Sweden), calculated separately for each dental arch and compared by trimming-line design.
Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2)

Altre misure di risultato

Misura del risultato
Misura Descrizione
Lasso di tempo
Marginal Gingival Plaque Presence (MGPP%)
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2)
Percentage of tooth-associated gingival units showing disclosed plaque on the vestibular aspect of the free gingival margin (within 0 to 2 mm of the gingival crest), scored as present or absent per unit from standardized intraoral photographs by two independent blinded examiners, calculated per arch.
Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2)
Vestibular Interdental Papilla Plaque Presence (VIPPP%)
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2)
Percentage of interdental papillary units showing disclosed plaque on the visible vestibular aspect of the interdental papilla, scored as present or absent per unit from standardized intraoral photographs by two independent blinded examiners, calculated per arch.
Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2)
Marginal Demarcation Pattern (MDP)
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2)
Categorical classification of the predominant pattern of disclosed marginal plaque distribution on the buccal gingiva, scored per arch from standardized intraoral photographs by two independent examiners blinded to allocation. The categories are morphological, not ordinal severity levels: 0 = absent (no disclosed plaque pattern on the marginal gingiva); 1 = diffuse (disclosed plaque scattered over the gingiva without a defined coronal outline); 2 = papillary (disclosed plaque confined to the interdental papillae); 3 = linear/band (a continuous, clearly demarcated horizontal band of disclosed plaque spanning the buccal aspect of two or more adjacent teeth, including the papilla between them). The numeric codes denote distinct categories and not increasing severity; the predominant pattern is recorded for each arch. Inter-examiner agreement is assessed using the Cohen kappa coefficient for nominal categories.
Baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2)

Collaboratori e investigatori

Qui è dove troverai le persone e le organizzazioni coinvolte in questo studio.

Investigatori

  • Cattedra di studio: LUMINITA LAZAR, PhD, Professor, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences, and Technology of Targu Mures, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, 540139 Targu Mures, Romania

Pubblicazioni e link utili

La persona responsabile dell'inserimento delle informazioni sullo studio fornisce volontariamente queste pubblicazioni. Questi possono riguardare qualsiasi cosa relativa allo studio.

Pubblicazioni generali

Studiare le date dei record

Queste date tengono traccia dell'avanzamento della registrazione dello studio e dell'invio dei risultati di sintesi a ClinicalTrials.gov. I record degli studi e i risultati riportati vengono esaminati dalla National Library of Medicine (NLM) per assicurarsi che soddisfino specifici standard di controllo della qualità prima di essere pubblicati sul sito Web pubblico.

Studia le date principali

Inizio studio (Effettivo)

1 marzo 2025

Completamento primario (Stimato)

1 luglio 2026

Completamento dello studio (Stimato)

1 luglio 2026

Date di iscrizione allo studio

Primo inviato

6 giugno 2026

Primo inviato che soddisfa i criteri di controllo qualità

6 giugno 2026

Primo Inserito (Effettivo)

11 giugno 2026

Aggiornamenti dei record di studio

Ultimo aggiornamento pubblicato (Effettivo)

12 giugno 2026

Ultimo aggiornamento inviato che soddisfa i criteri QC

10 giugno 2026

Ultimo verificato

1 giugno 2026

Maggiori informazioni

Termini relativi a questo studio

Piano per i dati dei singoli partecipanti (IPD)

Hai intenzione di condividere i dati dei singoli partecipanti (IPD)?

NO

Descrizione del piano IPD

Individual participant data will not be made publicly available, as the small single-site cohort (20 participants) cannot be fully de-identified without risk to participant confidentiality. De-identified data may be made available from the principal investigator on reasonable academic request, subject to an appropriate data-sharing agreement and ethics approval. Aggregate results will be reported in the doctoral thesis and in peer-reviewed publication.

Informazioni su farmaci e dispositivi, documenti di studio

Studia un prodotto farmaceutico regolamentato dalla FDA degli Stati Uniti

No

Studia un dispositivo regolamentato dalla FDA degli Stati Uniti

No

Queste informazioni sono state recuperate direttamente dal sito web clinicaltrials.gov senza alcuna modifica. In caso di richieste di modifica, rimozione o aggiornamento dei dettagli dello studio, contattare register@clinicaltrials.gov. Non appena verrà implementata una modifica su clinicaltrials.gov, questa verrà aggiornata automaticamente anche sul nostro sito web .

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