3D printed vs. traditional aligners: which hosts more mouth bacteria?

This completed study at the University of Michigan compared how much bacteria builds up on 3D printed clear aligners versus conventional thermoformed aligners. Thirty participants wore each type of aligner for one week, and researchers swabbed both the aligners and tooth surfaces to measure microbial colonization. The goal was simply to observe differences in bacterial growth, not to test a treatment or improve health.