Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39969598›Full record

SynthesisJournal of orofacial orthopedics = Fortschritte der Kieferorthopadie : Organ/official journal Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Kieferorthopadie2026

Accuracy of three-dimensionally printed retainers and aligners : A systematic review.

Hui Shan Boo, Saritha Sivarajan, Norhidayah Nor Zahidah Mohd Tahir, Aufa Dahlia Bahar

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of orofacial orthopedics = Fortschritte der Kieferorthopadie : Organ/official journal Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Kieferorthopadie, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. 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

4 authors.

Hui Shan BooDepartment of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Lembah Pantai, Malaysia.
Saritha SivarajanDepartment of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Lembah Pantai, Malaysia. saritha@um.edu.my.
Norhidayah Nor Zahidah Mohd TahirDepartment of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Lembah Pantai, Malaysia.
Aufa Dahlia BaharDepartment of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Lembah Pantai, Malaysia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWith the constant improvement of photopolymerizable resin, direct three-dimensional (3D) printing of retainers and aligners (R&A) has gained popularity in recent years. The primary objective of this research was to systematically evaluate the evidence regarding the accuracy of 3D-printed R&A in terms of trueness and precision (T&P).

methodsElectronic database searches were performed on PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, Ovid, and Clinicaltrial.gov through 17 November 2023. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool was used to assess the risk of bias and applicability concerns of the methodologic quality of the articles.

resultsA total of 12 in vitro studies were selected. Five studies reported the accuracy of 3D-printed retainers and another seven reported on aligners. For the 3D-printed retainer group, only Naeem et al. [1] reported both T&P and found that stereolithography (SLA) and PolyJet photopolymer (PPP) printers demonstrated higher accuracy than digital light processing (DLP) and continuous digital light processing (cDLP) printers. For the 3D-printed aligners group, only Koenig et al. [2] reported both T&P and found that 3D-printed aligners fabricated with photopolymerizable polyurethane resin demonstrated higher trueness (0.14 ± 0.020 mm) compared to conventional thermoformed aligners (0.188 ± 0.074 and 0.209 ± 0.094).

conclusionThe existing digital workflow involving various printing materials, angulations, printing thickness, and printing technologies is feasible for the fabrication of direct 3D printing of R&A with variable degrees of accuracy. Most techniques worked within the clinically acceptable level of accuracy of 0.25 mm. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD 42022312907.

Indexed as

Printing, Three-DimensionalHumans3D printed aligners3D printed retainersAccuracyPrecisionTrueness

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

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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 OpenQuestion graph.