title: Variations in surface roughness of seven orthodontic archwires: an SEM-profilometry study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surface roughness (SR) of 2 types of orthodontic archwires made by 4 different manufacturers.
  
  
  METHODS
  This in vitro experimental study was conducted on 35 specimens of 7 different orthodontic archwires, namely, 1 nickel-titanium (NiTi) archwire each from the manufacturers American Orthodontics, OrthoTechnology, All-Star Orthodontics, and Smart Technology, and 1 stainless steel (SS) archwire each from the manufacturers American Orthodontics, OrthoTechnology, and All-Star Orthodontics. After analyzing the composition of each wire by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, the SR of each wire was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and surface profilometry. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests (α < 0.05).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average SR of NiTi wires manufactured by Smart Technology, American Orthodontics, OrthoTechnology, and All-Star Orthodontics were 1,289 ± 915 A°, 1,378 ± 372 A°, 2,444 ± 369 A°, and 5,242 ± 2,832 A°, respectively. The average SR of SS wires manufactured by All-Star Orthodontics, OrthoTechnology, and American Orthodontics were 710 ± 210 A°, 1,831 ± 1,156 A°, and 4,018 ± 2,214 A°, respectively. Similar to the results of profilometry, the SEM images showed more defects and cracks on the SS wire made by American Orthodontics and the NiTi wire made by All-Star Orthodontics than others.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The NiTi wire manufactured by All-Star Orthodontics and the SS wire made by American Orthodontics were the roughest wires.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Dental Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fariborz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amini
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rakhshan
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pousti
authors.forename: Hajir
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rahimi
authors.forename: Mahsa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shariati
authors.forename: Bahareh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aghamohamadi
keywords: Biomaterial science; Physical property; Scanning electron microscopy; Wire