title: Archwire diameter effect on tooth alignment with different bracket-archwire combinations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our objective was to evaluate the effect of the diameter of the archwire on tooth alignment with different bracket-archwire combinations.
  
  
  METHODS
  The materials included 2 categories of orthodontic brackets (1) conventional ligating brackets (Victory Series [3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif], Mini-Taurus [Rocky Mountain Orthodontics, Denver, Colo], and Synergy [Rocky Mountain Orthodontics]) and (2) self-ligating brackets (SmartClip [3M Unitek], a passive self-ligating bracket; Time3 [American Orthodontics, Sheboygan, Wis], an active self-ligating bracket; and SPEED [Strite Industries, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada], an active self-ligating bracket). All brackets had a nominal 0.022-in slot size. The brackets were combined with Therma-Ti 0.014-in and Therma-Ti 0.016-in titanium memory archwires (American Orthodontics). The archwires were tied to the conventional brackets with both stainless steel ligatures (0.010 in) and elastomeric rings. Each bracket-archwire combination was tested 20 times with the orthodontic measurement and simulation system built in a temperature-controlled chamber where the temperature was kept at 37°C (±1°C) during testing. The malocclusion simulated in the study represented a maxillary central incisor displaced 2 mm gingivally (x-axis) and 2 mm labially (z-axis).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incisogingival corrections achieved by the 0.014-in archwire combined with the brackets used ranged from 40% to 95%; the corrections by the 0.016-in wire were 55% to 95%. The labiolingual corrections achieved by the 0.014-in archwire combined with the brackets used ranged from 10% to 100%, and the corrections of the 0.016-in archwires ranged from 15% to 100%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increasing the diameter from 0.014 to 0.016 in increased the correction achieved by up to 15% in certain bracket-archwire combinations, but it decreased the correction by up to 25% in other combinations.
authors.affiliation: Associate professor, Orthodontic Department, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Mansoura, Mansoura, Egypt. Electronic address: mmontasser11@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mona A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Montasser
authors.affiliation: Senior researcher, Department of Oral Technology, School of Dentistry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Ludger
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Keilig
authors.affiliation: Cendres and Métaux Endowed Professor of Oral Technology, School of Dentistry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bourauel
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003722:Dental Alloys / Q000737:chemistry; D003764:Dental Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D020724:Elastomers / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000473:pathology; D008422:Materials Testing; D016382:Orthodontic Appliance Design; D016910:Orthodontic Brackets; D009969:Orthodontic Wires; D013193:Stainless Steel / Q000737:chemistry; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry; D014087:Tooth Movement Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D003722:Dental Alloys; D003764:Dental Materials; D020724:Elastomers; D013193:Stainless Steel; D014025:Titanium