A survey on clear aligner treatment: perspectives of orthodontists and orthodontic specialty / PhD students

Objective: The aim of this research was to assess the perspectives of orthodontists and orthodontic specialty/PhD students in Türkiye regarding clear aligner treatment (CAT). Materials and Method: An electronic questionnaire was created using the SurveyMonkey online platform and distributed via e-mail to members of the Turkish Orthodontic Association. A total of 220 individuals participated in the survey. The questionnaire encompassed demographic information and distinct sections for clinicians utilizing and those not utilizing CAT. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 22 software. Results: The response rate amounted to 10.8%. CAT was employed by 79.5% of the respondents. Key motivations for preferring CAT included improved patient comfort and oral hygiene (83.4%), reduced chair-side time (64.6%), and the ability to predict treatment outcomes (61.7%). Among participants who did not use CAT, 64.4% cited lack of experience as the reason, 55.6% mentioned insufficient patient demand for clear aligners in their practice, and 48.9% noted the cost as a prohibitive factor. Conclusion: The majority of participants indicated the use of CAT. Orthodontists use clear aligner treatment in their practice with a greater percentage than orthodontic specialty/PhD students. It was evident that cost and limited familiarity with the equipment and implementation posed significant barriers for those not using this treatment modality.