Öz
Aim: In order for the clear aligner treatment to be successful, the aligner material must provide sufficient orthodontic force to make the desired tooth movements without damaging the surrounding periodontal tissues. It is known that the mechanical properties of the material of the clear aligners have a critical role in the orthodontic force produced. In this study, it is aimed to determine the changes in the mechanical properties of different aligner materials that may affect the orthodontic force and to examine their effects.
Method: In this study, tensile tests were performed in accordance with the relevant standards in order to determine the mechanical properties of 6 different clear aligner materials (CA Pro, GT Flex, Zendura Flex, Zendura, Taglus, GT Pro). From the tensile test results, the parameters of the elastic modulus, tensile strength and elongation at break were obtained, as well as the stress-strain curves of the materials. The results were statistically evaluated and the mechanical properties of the materials were interpreted.
Results: According to material types, elastic modulus, tensile strength and elongation at break measurements showed statistically significant differences (p=0.001; p<0.01). When the paired comparisons were evaluated, it was determined that the Zendura Flex material had the lowest elastic modulus and tensile strength value, which was statistically significant.
Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the multilayered Zendura Flex and CA Pro materials showed the lowest elastic modulus and the lowest tensile strength values to support this result. The results of this study supported that different clear aligner materials show different mechanical properties. In order to increase the success of clear aligner treatment, it has been predicted that proper aligner materials can be determined with a good knowledge of the mechanical properties of aligner materials.