Clear aligners brands and marketing claims: An overview of available information on the web

Objectives: To investigate the current commercially available clear aligners related to brands, companies, Google trends, and marketing claims presented on their official websites. Materials and methods: A search was conducted in October 2020 to identify the relevant web-based information, using three languages (English, Chinese, and Korean) and search terms clear aligner, and in four search engines (Google, Bing, Baidu, and Naver) to identify current clear aligner companies. Each company website was reviewed and assessed for its marketing claims. Results: A total of 75 clear aligner brands were identified and included in the study, and 280 claims from their official websites were analysed. Most (70.7%) of the companies made claims regarding aesthetics, 66.7% made claims regarding increased comfort, 58.7% made claims regarding shorter treatment time, and 56.0% of the companies made claims regarding superior material. Other claims were made regarding their novel technology, superior hygiene, tracking Apps, remote monitoring, and reduced in-office visits. Of these marketing claims, only 4.5% cited references supporting the company's website claims; however, the references were mainly derived from internal company research. Conclusions: Using three languages (English, Chinese, and Korean), 75 different brands of clear aligners were currently found online. Most of the marketing claims from the clear aligner companies' official websites were not referenced to quality scientific studies. Clinicians and patients should critically appraise the content of company claims and advertisements.

Automated summary

This study investigated commercially available clear aligners in terms of brands, companies, Google trends, and marketing claims on their official websites. The findings suggest that most marketing claims made by clear aligner companies lack references to quality scientific studies, highlighting the need for critical appraisal by clinicians and patients.