White spot lesions in adolescent patients

Investigators may have uncovered the incidence, severity and risk factors of white spot lesions in adolescent patients who received clear aligner therapy, according to a study published in Orthodontics & Craniofacial Research.

In the study, the investigators analyzed the pretreatment and posttreatment intraoral images of 203 adolescent patients who were treated with clear aligners. They discovered that 35.5% of the patients developed white spot lesions — most commonly in the maxilla and anterior segments of the arch, particularly the lateral incisors.

The presence of white spot lesions prior to treatment, the intake of carbonated beverages and the number of anterior attachments were independently associated with the risk of developing the condition. However, the researchers identified factors that mitigated the risk of white spot lesions, such as the number of times brushing per day and the frequency of clear aligner cleaning following meals in which the aligners were worn.

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