Evidence mapPaperPMID 41877679Full record

ArticleKorean journal of orthodontics2026

Can wear time, material composition, and manufacturing processes affect microplastic release from clear orthodontic aligners? A multidisciplinary

Giulia Orilisi, Flavia Vitiello, Valentina Notarstefano, Chiara Santoni, Vincenzo Tosco, Sabina Saccomanno, Giuseppe Marzo, Elisabetta Giorgini, Giovanna Orsini, Vincenzo Quinzi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Korean journal of orthodontics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Giulia OrilisiDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Stomatology, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2012-9923
Flavia VitielloDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Stomatology, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5152-7705
Valentina NotarstefanoDepartment of Bioscience and Technology for Agriculture, Food and Environment, Università degli studi di Teramo, Teramo, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4651-6235
Chiara SantoniDepartment of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2944-3699
Vincenzo ToscoDepartment of Life Science, Health and Health Professions, University Link Campus, Roma, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3378-3844
Sabina SaccomannoDepartment of Life Science, Health and Health Professions, University Link Campus, Roma, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9423-4689
Giuseppe MarzoDepartment of Health, Life and Environmental Science, Università degli studi dell'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4583-5207
Elisabetta GiorginiDepartment of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0503-5870
Giovanna OrsiniDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Stomatology, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2641-0695
Vincenzo QuinziDepartment of Life Science, Health and Health Professions, University Link Campus, Roma, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3184-6899

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: Plastics are widely used, including in medical applications. In dentistry, clear aligners (CAs) offer an alternative to fixed appliances, but their potential microplastics (MP) release raises health concerns. This study aims to investigate the detachment of MPs from CAs by analyzing the correlations between wearing time, manufacturing methods, and material composition. Methods: The following CAs were tested: Alleo (AL), F22 Aligner (F22), FlexiLigner (FL), Graphy (GP), Invisalign (INV), KeySplint (KS), Lineo (LIN), LuxCreo (LC), Spark (SP), and SureSmile (SS). One pair of CAs per group was immersed in artificial saliva, and the solution was stirred for 5 hours per day for 7 (T1) or 14 (T2) days to simulate mechanical friction. Saliva samples were subsequently vacuum-filtered through 1.6-μm pore-size membranes. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the CA materials, and Raman microspectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to assess the chemical composition, number, size, and shape of the MPs. The experiment was conducted in triplicate. Results: The release of MPs increased significantly from T1 to T2 ( Conclusions: Replacing CAs after 7 days may help limit MP release, particularly smaller fragments; however, the clinical significance of this finding remains unclear and requires further in vivo investigation.

Indexed as

AlignerBiomaterial sciencePublic healthScanning electron microscopy

Identifiers

PMID41877679
PMCPMC13021316

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.