Enabling research and innovation

In 2010, Align Technology began the Research Award Program with the goal to support clinical and scientific orthodontic and dental research in universities across the globe. Since its inception in 2010, we have funded over $4 million in research awards. Research has provided insights into various areas including tooth movement efficacy with clear aligner therapy, oral hygiene and microbial bacteria presence or absence with clear aligners, and comparisons in quality of life with aligners as compared to fixed appliances.

Align recently announced the award of twelve research grants to universities under the company’s fifteenth Annual Research Award Program.

The Americas research award recipients for 2026 are:

• University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) Primary Investigator - Dr. Isil Aras
• University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) Primary Investigator - Dr. Sarah Hisham Abu Arqub
• Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville, IL) Primary Investigator - Dr. Feras Al Khatib
• University of Alabama (Birmingham, AL) Primary Investigator - Dr. Navdeep Bhusri

The European research award recipients for 2026 are:

• Francisco de Vitoria University (Madrid, Spain) Primary Investigator - Dr. Iván Nieto Sánchez
• Johann Wolfgang Goethe University (Frankfurt, Germany) Primary Investigator - Dr. Babak Sayahpour
• University of Insubria (Varese and Como, Italy) Primary Investigator - Dr. Luca Levrini
• Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (Milan, Italy) Primary Investigator - Dr. Andrea Boggio

The Asia Pacific research award recipients for 2026 are:

• Wuhan University (Wuhan, China) Primary Investigator - Dr. Sanjie Yeweng
• Sichuan University (Chengdu, China) Primary Investigator - Dr. Juan Li
• Taipei Medical University (Taipei City, Taiwan) Primary Investigator - Dr. Daniel De-Shing Chen
• Shandong University (Jinan, China) Primary Investigator - Dr. Hui Chen

The funded research studies cover a wide range of topics, including:

Apical root resorption during anterior retraction, early and late restoration of maxillary laterals during aligner treatment, evaluation of the Invisalign Palatal Expander and traditional expanders in mixed dentition, white spot lesion activity between fixed appliances and aligners, stability of alignment in retention with various protocols, anterior tooth movement with lingual versus buccal attachments, and characteristics of enamel during aligner treatment by using scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy.

All award applications received were first reviewed and prioritized in a blind evaluation by an independent academic committee. The final recipients were then determined by Align Technology.