Levels of Inflammatory and Bone Metabolic Markers in the Gingival Crevicular Fluid of Individuals Undergoing Fixed Orthodontic Treatment in Comparison to Those Utilizing Invisalign.

Background and Objectives : Evaluation of the levels of cytokine and bone metabolic biomarkers (BMBs) in patients receiving fixed orthodontic therapy (FOT) and Invisalign. Materials and Methods : Sixty participants were enrolled after meeting the predefined inclusion criteria. Patients then underwent either FOT or Invisalign by allocating them randomly to each group (n = 30). The basic periodontal assessment was performed, including the plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and bleeding on probing (BoP), at baseline and again after 4 weeks. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples were taken from each individual at baseline and after 4 weeks. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was used to determine the cytokine and BMB levels. An unpaired t -test compared the FOT and Invisalign group's means and SDs. Paired t -tests examined the difference between T0 baseline and T1. Results : Patients treated with either FOT or Invisalign presented no statistically significant difference in terms of periodontal parameters such as PI, GI, and BoP ( p > 0.05). The levels of IL-6 were significantly higher in patients treated with FOT as compared to Invisalign at T1 ( p < 0.05) The other tested cytokines, IL-10, 13, 17, and GM-CSF, were not significantly different in either the FOT or Invisalign group at baseline and 4 weeks follow-up ( p > 0.05). Regarding BMBs, it was detected that NTx and OC levels in both of the investigated groups were not significantly different at baseline and after 4 weeks ( p > 0.05). However, NTx levels rose significantly ( p < 0.05) and OC levels fell from T0 to T1. Conclusions : FOT and Invisalign displayed comparable outcomes in terms of cytokine and BMB levels. However, only IL-6 and NTx were significantly different at week 4 from baseline.