Nicolle San Nicolas Dubrull Lia Lucarelli

This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of female patients following completion of orthodontic treatment with conventional fixed appliances and clear aligners. It used a clinical qualitative design with, semi-structured interviews featuring open-ended questions. Participants were recruited from private orthodontic practices, and the sample size was determined by data saturation. The final group included six patients treated with conventional fixed appliances and nine patients treated with clear aligners. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using qualitative content analysis with peer validation of the categories. Seven categories emerged among patients treated with conventional fixed appliances: pain, discomfort, and hygiene difficulties; daily adaptations and restrictions; confidence in the professional; treatment duration; insecurity or embarrassment; desire to improve appearance; and satisfaction with treatment outcomes . For patients treated with clear aligners, seven categories were identified: practicality, comfort and hygiene; pain and discomfort related to use; treatment duration; willingness to recommend aligners; desire to improve appearance and appliance discretion; recommendation by the professional; and satisfaction. The findings show that, although patients with fixed appliances faced several challenges during treatment, aesthetic improvement was the main reason for seeking care, and overall satisfaction with the results was high. Patients who chose clear aligners aimed to avoid common limitations of fixed appliances and emphasized benefits related to comfort, convenience, oral hygiene, and discretion. These results highlight the importance of qualitative methods for understanding patient perspectives and can guide clinical communication and shared decision-making in adult orthodontic treatment.

Dental caries is considered one of the most common oral health diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of an experimental chitosan/casein gel on enamel demineralization/remineralization in an environment with a high cariogenic challenge. Thirty-six specimens of bovine enamel (4 mm × 3 mm × 2 mm) were ground flat and polished. Then, the specimens were immersed in acetate buffer for 43 h with half of the surface protected (serving as control) and the other half exposed. All demineralized surfaces were randomly assigned into 3 groups (n = 12 per group) according to the type of treatment (G1 - control, G2 - 1.5% chitosan gel with 1.5% casein, and G3 - 1.5% chitosan gel without casein), and the corresponding treatment was applied once a week for 3 weeks. The specimens were also subjected to pH cycles of demineralization/ remineralization and the treatments were performed 3 times at 7-day intervals for a total of 21 days. Surface images were obtained for the analysis of initial roughness and, after the cariogenic challenge, new images were obtained to evaluate the final roughness, volume loss and wear profile using laser confocal microscopy. After the analyses, the specimens were cut and the depth of demineralization was measured. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey's test. While the chitosan gel with casein showed a similar loss to the control group (p > 0.05), both gels resulted in similar volume loss (p > 0.05). There were no statistical differences regarding the wear profile, surface roughness and depth of demineralization between the groups (p > 0.05). The chitosan gel reduced volume loss of the demineralized enamel without significantly impacting the surface smoothness.