Color changes of esthetic orthodontic ligatures evaluated by orthodontists and patients: a clinical study

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To evaluate in vivo changes in the color of esthetic elastomeric ligatures from different manufacturers.

Methods:

Four widely used commercial brands of elastomeric ligatures were selected and used in 20 adult patients in a split-mouth design. The ligatures were evaluated by orthodontists and patients in a double-blind manner on the day the ligatures were placed (T₀) and 30 days after intraoral exposure (T₁) by means of a system of staining scores. Groups were compared by Friedman test with p < 0.05.

Results:

Orthodontists and patients reported similar staining scores (p > 0.05). Results showed that all brands underwent significant staining when exposed to the intraoral environment. Modular-crystal Morelli^TM (Sorocaba, SP, Brazil) showed the highest degree of staining with the median reaching the maximum value (3); while the other brands (3M Unitek^TM, American Orthodontics^TM and GAC Dentsply^TM) showed the median equal to 1 (p < 0.001). A large individual variability in the degree of staining was also found for all brands.

Conclusions:

All four brands of esthetic ligatures showed significant staining, which appeared to be more pronounced for the Morelli^TM brand. Changes in color of the elastomeric ligatures were perceived similarly by patients and orthodontists. The industry needs to improve the color stability of esthetic ligatures.

Keywords:
Esthetic orthodontic ligatures; Esthetic elastomers; Pigmentation Orthodontic treatment