Comparison of Friction Produced at Backet-Wire Interface in Monocrystalline Ceramic Brackets of 8 Different Brands: An In Vitro Study.

INTRODUCTION: The esthetic during the various orthodontic treatments has led to the invention of the brackets. When different ceramic brackets and archwires are used, the different frictional forces may result in the different outputs. Hence, in the present study, we evaluated and compared the frictional resistance between eight standard monocrystalline ceramic bracket models and each of the archwires of four different alloys.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Frictional force was tested using Instron testing machine, in vitro , for eight types of monocrystalline ceramic bracket, and four types of archwires beta-titanium, NiTi, copper-nickel-titanium, and stainless steel statistical analysis were done using various tools, and significance value of <0.05 was considered.

RESULTS: Ormco and AO (Radiance) monocrystalline ceramic brackets created lesser frictional resistance than other monocrystalline ceramic brackets. Stainless steel archwire generates lesser static friction. Beta-titanium archwire created higher static friction. A 0.017 × 0.025 inch stainless steel archwire generates lesser static friction to 0.019 × 0.025 inch TMA.

CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that Ormco and AO (Radiance) monocrystalline ceramic brackets, with stainless steel archwires and of size 0.017 × 0.025 inch, can generate better forces when used for the orthodontic tooth movements.