Pain, Discomfort, and Functional Impairments When Retracting Upper Anterior Teeth Using Two-Step Retraction With Transpalatal Arches Versus En-Masse Retraction With Mini-implants: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background This study aimed to evaluate the levels of pain and discomfort associated with employing mini-implants as a temporary skeletal anchorage device compared to the traditional transpalatal arches (TPAs) during upper anterior teeth retraction in patients with upper dentoalveolar protrusion and to determine the level of acceptance of both techniques among patients. Methodology The study sample consisted of 38 patients (29 women and nine men) with an average age of 21.7 years. The patients were randomly and equally distributed into two groups. In the first group: upper anterior teeth were en-masse retracted using mini-implants (the TAD group), whereas, in the second group, TPAs were used during the two-step retraction of upper anterior teeth (the TPA group). Standardized questionnaires were distributed to all patients after 24 hours of mini-implant application. The questionnaire asked the patients to rate their pain perception, swelling sensation, eating difficulties, talking impairments, and cleansing difficulties on a four-point Likert scale on the third-day, one-week, two-week, and one-month follow-ups after the anchorage application. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank tests were used to evaluate intragroup changes, whereas Mann-Whitney U tests were employed to examine intergroup differences. Results Patients in the TAD group had higher pain and swelling levels than those in the TPA group, and differences were statistically significant at the first three assessment time points. The differences between the two groups were statistically insignificant regarding eating and talking difficulties, whereas differences were statistically significant for brushing difficulties. These impairments decreased to almost normal levels after one month of treatment initiation. Conclusions TPAs, when used for anchorage in the two-step retraction technique, were less problematic compared to mini-implants with en-masse retraction, where the sensation of pain or swelling around the mini-implants did not last for more than a week. The difficulties of cleaning, chewing, and speaking in the presence of mini-implants were temporary and mostly disappeared within two weeks of mini-implant application.