Color Stability of Different Aesthetic Arch Wires in Beverages Consumed During the COVID-19 Era: An In Vitro Study

Introduction One of the prime reasons for patients seeking orthodontic treatment is improvement in their aesthetics or appearance. With a greater number of adult patients now opting for orthodontic treatment, the demand for aesthetic orthodontic materials has increased. With the background of the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the popular role of strongly pigmented beverages that play an immunity-boosting role, studies exploring the effect of such beverages on orthodontic appliances may improve the decision-making process of selecting such aesthetic appliances. Materials and methods Four brands of wires and six beverages were included in this study. The wires were Teflon-, epoxy-, or ceramic-coated. Convenience sampling was done, and five samples of each brand were prepared to be tested in each solution. Samples were tested under a spectrophotometer after immersing them in various solutions for two, four, and eight weeks. A comparison of aesthetic degradation due to color changes amongst four brands of archwires was done by applying the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. P values were calculated for all samples to determine whether the color change that occurred in the samples was statistically significant or not. Results Overall results showed that none of the archwires resisted color change after being immersed in staining solutions after two, four, and eight weeks, respectively, which was found to be statistically significant.  Conclusion At the end of all time intervals, none of the archwires resisted a color change irrespective of the brand or coating of archwires. This result was found to be statistically significant. With respect to the solutions, all solutions from Chyavanprash, tea, coffee, vitamin C, turmeric milk, and AYUSH kadha displayed a staining effect on all the aesthetic archwires.

Oral Health and Feto-maternal Outcomes in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals

The linkages of oral health with the holistic health of an individual are now well-established. Nevertheless, marginalizing oral health continues to pose a challenge in the public health scenario globally and especially in developing countries. Maternal and fetal health have been regarded as pivotal yardsticks of development in all civil societies. The oral cavity acts as a route of entry for various microorganisms into the body and oral lesions are easily detectable. Thus, early intervention is possible and morbidity in the vulnerable populations can be reduced.