Archwire cleaning after intraoral ageing: the effects on debris, roughness, and friction.
Dental material science has paid more attention to mechanical properties of as-received materials than to changes produced after intraoral exposure. Orthodontic archwires when exposed to the intraoral environment have shown a significant increase in the degree of debris, surface roughness (Ra), and frictional force. The purpose of this split-mouth study was to evaluate the effects of two methods of archwire cleaning on these variables after clinical use for 8 weeks. For eight individuals, four sets of three brackets each (n = 32) were bonded from the first molar to the first premolar. A passive segment of 0.019 × 0.025 inch stainless steel (SS) archwire was inserted into the brackets and tied by elastomeric ligature. Debris level [via scanning electron microscopy (SEM)], Ra, and frictional force were evaluated in a paired comparison after 8 weeks of intraoral exposure and after cleaning with a steel wool sponge (SWS) for 1 minute or ultrasound (US) cleaning for 15 minutes. Kruskal-Wallis, Friedman's, and Spearman and Pearson correlation tests were used for statistical analysis. The debris and Ra of SS rectangular wires increased significantly (P < 0.05) during clinical use, causing a significant increase in the frictional force level. These changes can be effectively eliminated by either of the investigated cleaning methods, although a SWS seems to be clinically more practical.
Department of Orthodontics, Federal University of Pará, Brasil. davidnor@amazon.com.br
David
D
Normando
Adriana Monteiro
AM
de Araújo
Isabella da Silva Vieira
Ida S
Marques
Carmen Gilda
CG
Barroso Tavares Dias
José Augusto Mendes
JA
Miguel
D004203:Disinfection / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D017276:Friction; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D016910:Orthodontic Brackets; D009969:Orthodontic Wires; D011897:Random Allocation; D013193:Stainless Steel; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013499:Surface Properties; D014087:Tooth Movement Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*
D013193:Stainless Steel