Clear Aligners - White Spot Lesions & Periodontium: A Scoping Review

White spot lesions around orthodontic attachments are an unsightly and one of the common side effect of orthodontic treatment. During fixed orthodontic treatment plaque collection and retention occurs around the irregular surfaces of the attachments limiting the self-cleansing mechanism of salivary flow. Furthermore the levels of acidogenic bacteria such as S. mutans become significantly elevated in orthodontic patients. These bacteria produce acid by-products lowering the pH of the plaque. As the pH drops below the threshold for remineralisation carious decalcification occurs. Moreover this also leads to deterioration of the periodontal status if patient does not maintain a good oral hygiene.In recent years an increasing number of young and adult patients have sought orthodontic treatment with Clear Aligner therapy as a more aesthetic and comfortable alternative. Unlike fixed orthodontic appliances clear thermoplastic aligners can be taken out and thus enable patients to practice oral hygiene procedures under ideal conditions. To unfold this enigma a thorough strategic analysis of literature was planned to map the evidence for the evaluation of the same.