Force degradation of two orthodontic accessories analyzed in vivo and in vitro

OBJECTIVE

To compare force degradation of elastomeric chains and NiTi coil springs in vivo and in vitro, and evaluate the effects of pre-stretched and reused elastomeric chains in the oral cavity during the time.

METHODS

In the in vitro groups, 4-unit elastomeric chains and NiTi coil springs with an initial force of 200 g were placed in dry air and artificial saliva. The volunteers wore clear retainers which were used to hold the sample of 4-unit chains, pre-stretched 4-unit chains, and NiTi coil springs with the initial force of 200 g in the in vivo groups. After the first 4 weeks, 4-unit specimens were stretched to 200 g again for another 4 weeks in vivo. The force value and the percentage of force degradation were recorded at each measurement time interval in the in vivo and in vitro groups.

RESULTS

The force degradation of elastomeric chains was greatest within the initial 4 hours, followed by a more stable phase after 1 week. The average force degradation of 4-unit elastomeric chains after 4 weeks was in vivo (64.8%) > artificial saliva (55.0%) > dry air (46.42%) (P < 0.05). The force degradation of NiTi coil springs in vivo (15.36%) or in artificial saliva (15.8%) was greater than in dry air (7.6%) (P < 0.05). NiTi coil springs presented a gentler force decay than elastomeric chains during the period (P < 0.05). In vivo, the force degradation of pre-stretched and reused elastomeric chains decreased less than the regular style(P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The force degradation of the elastomeric chains and NiTi coil springs varied in different environments. NiTi coil springs presented a gentler force decay than elastomeric chains during the period. Orthodontists should consider the force degradation characteristics of orthodontic accessories in clinical practice.

Comparison of in vivo and in vitro force decay of elastomeric chains/modules: a systematic review and meta analysis

BACKGROUND

The study evaluated and compared the force decay of orthodontic elastomeric chains/modules in both in vivo and in vitro settings.

METHODS

A protocol in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines was formulated and registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. A total of 53 articles (44 in vitro and 9 in vivo studies) found via search of the electronic databases of Cochrane and the National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE; PubMed), and manual search of the gray literature from institutional library resources, were selected. Data extraction, quality analysis, risk of bias assessment, and meta-analysis of the level of force decay of elastomeric chains/modules were conducted per standard protocol, and suitable statistical analyses were applied.

RESULTS

The mean force decay in the in vivo setting was 41.9% at 24 hours, 42.6% after 1 week, 46.8% after 2 weeks, and 55.0% after 3 weeks. Similarly, the force decay in the in vitro studies was 38.9% at 24 hours, 42.1% after 1 week, 44.6% after 2 weeks, and 51.1% after 3 weeks. However, at the 95% confidence interval, the force decay rates of in vivo and in vitro studies overlap, with a statistically insignificant difference in force decay observed in the in vivo and in vitro settings.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review and meta-analysis observed more force decay in the in vivo studies versus the in vitro studies (although this difference was statistically insignificant), with the maximum force decay occurring during the initial days, with a reduction to approximately 50% within 3 weeks. Hence, change of the elastomeric chains/module, at intervals of 3 weeks, is advised. (PROSPERO registration no. CRD42020209535).

A systematic review of force decay in orthodontic elastomeric power chains

INTRODUCTION

Elastomeric chains are one of several devices used to provide force for orthodontic tooth movement, but the force they exert diminishes over time and can thus be difficult to control. The objective of this investigation was to provide a systematic review of publications pertinent to force decay in orthodontic elastomeric chains.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic review was performed via electronic querying of multiple databases for the period 1970-2011. Queries were limited to a set of specific keywords in two languages (English and French). Five main reviews were consulted manually to identify relevant publications. Two investigators sorted out those studies that complied with selection criteria.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A total of 53 studies were found to be relevant to force decay in elastomeric chains, including 22 on force decay over time, seven on the force consequences of pre-stretching, 12 on the impact of the environment on the force delivered, and 11 on clinical efficacy.

CONCLUSION

The force delivered by elastomeric chains decays rapidly over time, affecting their mechanical properties and clinical efficacy when studied in either human saliva or laboratory test media.

Avaliação in vitro da força liberada por elásticos em cadeia

OBJETIVO: avaliar in vitro e comparar a redução de intensidade das forças liberadas por três grupos de elásticos em cadeia, com diferentes configurações, de um mesmo fabricante, medidas em intervalos de tempo preestabelecidos. MÉTODOS: os segmentos de elásticos em cadeia foram alongados e mantidos ativados durante o experimento com o auxílio de um dispositivo desenvolvido especialmente para esse fim e para possibilitar a leitura das forças. A avaliação da degradação da força foi realizada medindo-se a intensidade da força ao longo do tempo, e calculando-se o percentual de força perdida em relação à força inicial, em cada intervalo de tempo e para cada amostra testada. RESULTADOS E CONCLUSÕES: os dados coletados foram submetidos a análises estatísticas e os resultados demonstraram que, nos momentos seguintes ao inicial, a intensidade da força variou, dentro dos grupos e entre os grupos, nos diferentes momentos. A leitura dos valores das forças remanescentes em cada momento, comparada à referência da força inicial, resultou em valores diferentes, com significância estatística, em todas as comparações efetuadas dentro de cada grupo de elásticos (curto, médio, longo). Após a análise dos resultados das comparações entre os grupos de elásticos em cadeia, conclui-se que, apesar de verificados alguns resultados estatisticamente significativos para a comparação das magnitudes das forças liberadas em cada momento, essas diferenças parecem não ter expressão clínica, demonstrando que, aparentemente, o espaçamento entre os elos não representa uma característica clinicamente significativa na degradação da força ao longo do tempo.

In vitro friction of stainless steel arch wire-bracket combinations in air and different aqueous solutions

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the in vitro coefficient of friction of stainless steel arch wire-bracket combinations under fretting contact test conditions performed in air and in different aqueous solutions, like Ringer solution, Ringer with addition of a buffer, Ringer with addition of glucose, and Coca Cola.

METHODS

The fretting test set-up used allowed to control on-line the contact configuration and the positioning of the contacting parts. A specific positioning method was used to achieve a parallel alignment of arch wire and bracket slot. The effect of arch wire size, roughness, and test environment were investigated.

RESULTS

It was found that the aqueous solutions act as a lubricant compared to air. Friction was affected by the arch wire width while the roughness was found to have a limited effect. Stainless steel 0.018'' x 0.025'' arch wires exhibited higher frictional forces than stainless steel 0.017'' x 0.025'' arch wires on sliding against stainless steel 0.018'' x 0.025'' brackets in the selected test environments when tested under identical fretting test conditions. The wear damage on the arch wire after these in-vitro fretting tests was investigated. It revealed that these in-vitro tests are governed by a competition between oxidational wear and abrasive wear taking place at contact areas between brackets and arch wires.

CONCLUSIONS

For all aqueous solutions a lower coefficient of friction was found compared to tests performed in ambient air.