Three-dimensional assessment of virtual bracket removal for orthodontic retainers: A prospective clinical study.

Introduction: Computer-aided design and manufacturing of orthodontic retainers from digitally debonded models can be used to facilitate same-day delivery. The purpose of this prospective clinical study was to validate a novel technique for virtual bracket removal (VBR) in-office, comparing the accuracy with 2 orthodontic laboratories that use VBR for retainer fabrication in the digital workflow.

Methods: The sample consisted of 40 intraoral scans of 20 patients.