Spectrophotometric, Periodontal and Subjective Evaluations on Five Different Products for Clear Aligners Cleansing: Randomised Clinical Trial

This study aimed to assess five cleansing products and determine the most effective one for cleansing Invisalign CA in terms of absorbance, impact on periodontal parameters and subjective evaluation. The cleansing products evaluated in this study were drinking water (San Benedetto SpA, Scorzè, Italy), dishwashing soap (Svelto, Unilever Italia Mkt Operations S.r.l.; Rome, IT), effervescent tablets (Polident Antibacterial Denture Cleaner, Haleon plc, Weybridge, UK), crystals (Invisalign Cleaning Crystals, Align Technology, Inc.; San Jose, CA, USA) and gel (Geldis gel, Kalipharm S.r.l., Alba, IT). 20 patients treated with CA were enrolled and cleansing products were randomly assigned. Each patient was required to use the assigned product for 2 weeks until the next aligner change. When the aligner was changed, a different product was randomly assigned. Participants completed a questionnaire following their initial utilization and again after 1 and 2 weeks to assess their personal opinions regarding the cleansing products. The absorbance of the CA was measured using a spectrophotometer after 2 weeks of use of each cleanser. Data underwent statistical analysis (significance for p < 0.05). Soap and crystals showed significantly higher values of absorbance (p < 0.05). Regarding the periodontal indices and subjective perception of the visual and organoleptic characteristics of the CA, no statistically significant differences were detected (p > 0.05). Gel, tablets and water exhibited lower absorbance values; subjective evaluation showed that water and crystals seemed to be associated with worse odour and taste than the other products, while gel and water seemed to cause an increase in opacity. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06278116.