A Retrospective Study Regarding the Efficacy of Nuvola® OP Clear Aligners in Maxillary Arch Expansion in Adult Patients.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: The study evaluated the effectiveness of Nuvola^® OP aligners, combined with an interceptive myofunctional device, in achieving dental arch expansions over an 18-26-month treatment period. Methods: 54 patients (31 women and 23 men, aged between 18 and 48 years old) participated in the study. The inclusion criteria for the present research were optimal oral hygiene, no prior orthodontic treatments, and no systemic conditions affecting outcomes of the treatment. Linear measurements (D1, D2, D3, D4) were obtained from STL files of the dental arches before and after treatment using Carestream CSMODEL™ software 3.10.47. Statistical analysis included MANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and paired t-tests, following the Shapiro-Wilk test for data normality. Results: The treatment duration averaged 22.4 months. D1-D4 measurements means increased by 2.1 mm for D1, 2.37 mm for D2, 1.0 mm for D3, and 3.67 mm for D4. MANOVA results (p = 0.063) confirmed similar effects on all parameters, while Pearson's correlation showed a weak positive association among distance changes. Conclusions: Nuvola^® OP aligners, used with an interceptive myofunctional device, effectively improved arch parameters. The significant increases in D1-D4 mean values suggest that this approach might be beneficial for controlled dental arch expansion in adult patients.