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To discern the effects of computer-aided design (CAD)/computer-aided manufactured (CAM) customized appliances and piezocision on orthodontic treatment (OT). The study combined findings from two previously published randomized controlled trials: (1) standard OT vs piezocision-assisted standard OT, and (2) CAD/CAM OT vs piezocision-assisted CAD/CAM OT. Piezocision is a minimally invasive corticotomy surgical procedure used to accelerate orthodontic treatment and CAD/CAM refers to CAD/CAM customized brackets and archwires. The outcomes were the overall treatment time, and the durations of the alignment phase and fine-tuning phase. Clinical and radiological features also were evaluated. The combined study included 48 patients with similar baseline characteristics. Compared to the standard treatment, CAD/CAM technology alone significantly decreased the overall median OT time from 543 to 394 days (P <.001) and from 543 to 254 days (P <.0001) when combined with piezocision. Although piezocision significantly reduced the duration of the alignment phase in the mandible and maxilla, CAD/CAM technology considerably shortened the fine-tuning phase. All periodontal and radiographic parameters remained stable from the start to the end of treatment in all groups. CAD/CAM technology combined with piezocision accelerates the entire OT process, during the alignment phase for piezocision and during the fine-tuning phase for CAD/CAM, with a global reduction of the overall treatment time of more than 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the efficiency of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) and photobiomodulation (PBM) interventions in accelerating orthodontic tooth movement during clear aligner therapy (CAT). This retrospective study was carried out on the records of 84 subjects who were treated using CAT. Twenty-eight patients were treated using CAT with a daily use of LIPUS for 20 minutes, 28 patients were treated using CAT with a daily use of PBM for 10 minutes, and 28 patients were treated using CAT alone. The total duration of treatment was recorded for all patients. One-way analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey test were used to assess whether there was any significant difference in total treatment duration among the three groups (P <.05). The mean treatment durations in days were 719 ± 220, 533 ± 242, and 528 ± 323 for the control, LIPUS, and PBM groups, respectively. The LIPUS group showed a 26% reduction, on average, in treatment duration when compared with the control group, whereas the PBM group showed an average 26.6% reduction in the treatment duration when compared with the control group. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences among the groups (P =.011). Treatment durations were significantly reduced in the LIPUS and PBM groups as compared with the control (P =.027 and P =.023, respectively), with no statistically significant differences between the LIPUS and PBM groups (P =.998). Daily use of LIPUS or PBM as adjunctive interventions during CAT could reduce the duration of orthodontic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]