Comparative Evaluation of Frictional forces between different Archwire-bracket Combinations

Introduction: During sliding mechanics, frictional resistance is an important counterforce to orthodontic tooth movement; which must be controlled to allow application of light continuous forces. objective: To investigate static and kinetic frictional resistance between three orthodontic brackets: ceramic, self-ligating, and stainless steel, and three 0.019×0.025” archwires: stainless steel, nickel-titanium, titanium-molybdenum. Materials & Method: The in vitro study compared the effects of stainless steel, nickel-titanium, and beta-titanium archwires on frictional forces of three orthodontic bracket systems: ceramic, self-ligating, and stainless steel brackets. All brackets had 0.022” slots, and the wires were 0.019×0.025”. Friction was evaluated in a simulated half-arch fixed appliance on a testing machine. The static and kinetic friction data were analyzed with 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc Duncan multiple range test. result: Self-ligating (Damon) brackets generated significantly lower static and kinetic frictional forces than stainless steel (Gemini) and ceramic brackets (Clarity). Among the archwire materials, Beta-titanium showed the maximum amount of frictional force and stainless steel archwires had the lowest frictional force. conclusion: The static and kinetic frictional force for stainless steel bracket was lowest in every combination of wire.