Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Document Type

Thesis - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Dentistry

Copyright Statement

All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.

Department

College of Dental Medicine

First Advisor

Xiaozhe Han

Date of original Performance / Presentation

January 2025

Publication Date / Copyright Date

1-1-2025

Abstract

Introduction: Clear aligners are commonly used in orthodontics, and while they are generally well tolerated, limited literature exists on the biocompatibility on aligner material. A review of Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) medical device noted numerous reports of symptoms such as throat discomfort and swelling. Objective: To investigate the innate response of oral epithelial by examining inflammatory mediator release in oral epithelial cell line (OBA-9) following exposure to aligner elutes. Methods: Aligners were soaked in artificial saliva for 1- and 4- weeks, and the resulting solutions (elutes) were applied to OBA-9 cells for 24, 48, and 72 hours. Standard assays were used: MTT for cell viability, Real Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) for gene expression of select cytokines, and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for protein detection. Quantitative data obtained was analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for paired data. Results: Statistically significant decrease in cell viability were noted at 48 and 72 hours with 2% concentrations of both 1- and 4-week elutes. Statistically significant increase in IL-1β gene expression was observed at 72h with 1-week elute, while IL-1Ra was significant decreased at 72h with 4-week elute. IL-1β protein levels was increased statistically significantly at 24h in response to 1-week elute. Conclusion: Overall, the data indicate that exposure to elutes from clear aligners may trigger innate inflammatory responses by the oral epithelial barrier. Exposure to aligner elute reduced OBA-9 cells viability and caused a significant increase in IL-1β and decrease in IL-1Ra gene expression. This disruption of immune balance could be associated with the IL-1 signaling pathway. These findings may bring more insights into potential aligner-associated hypersensitivity reactions, which will help clinicians for the early identification and prevention of more severe complications.

Disciplines

Dentistry

Keywords

Clear aligners; hypersensitivity; Inflammation

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