Cytotoxicity of electric spot welding: an in vitro study

Objective: The welding process involves metal ions capable of causing cell lysis. In view of this fact, the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that cytotoxicity is present in different types of alloys (CrNi, TMA, NiTi) commonly used in orthodontic practice when these alloys are subjected to electric spot welding. Methods: Three types of alloys were evaluated in this study. Thirty-six test specimens were fabricated, 6 for each wire combination, and divided into 6 groups: Group SS (stainless steel), Group ST (steel with TMA), Group SN (steel with NiTi), Group TT (TMA with TMA), Group TN group (TMA with NiTi) and Group NN (NiTi with NiTi). All groups were subjected to spot welding and assessed in terms of their potential cytotoxicity to oral tissues. The specimens were first cleaned with isopropyl alcohol and sterilized with ultraviolet light (UV). A cytotoxicity assay was performed using cultured cells (strain L929, mouse fibroblast cells), which were tested for viable cells in neutral red dye-uptake over 24 hours. Analysis of variance and multiple comparison (ANOVA), as well as Tukey test were employed (p<0.05). Results: The results showed no statistically significant difference between experimental groups (P>0.05). Cell viability was higher in the TT group, followed by groups ST, TN, SS, NS and NN. Conclusions: It became evident that the welding of NiTi alloy wires caused a greater amount of cell lysis. Electric spot welding was found to cause little cell lysis. Abstract