OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the surface friction produced by self-ligating stainless steel brackets equipped with a resilient closure system and compare the friction generated during traction of round and rectangular orthodontic wires made from the same material. METHODS: Thirty maxillary canine brackets were divided into six groups comprising SmartClip and In-Ovation R self-ligating brackets, and conventional Gemini brackets tied with elastomeric ligatures. This investigation tested the hypothesis that self-ligating brackets are susceptible to increases in friction that are commensurate with increases and changes in the cross-section of orthodontic wires. Traction was performed with the aid of thirty segments of 0.020" and 0.019" x 0.025" stainless steel wires in an EMIC DL 10000 testing machine with a 2N load cell. Each set of bracket/wire generated four samples, totaling 120 readings. Comparisons between means were performed using analysis of variance (one way ANOVA) corrected with the Bonferroni coefficient. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The self-ligating brackets exhibited lower friction than conventional brackets tied with elastomeric ligatures. The SmartClip group was the most effective in controlling friction (p <0.01). The hypothesis under test was confirmed to the extent that the traction performed with rectangular 0.019" x 0.025" cross-section wires resulted in higher friction forces than those observed in the 0.020" round wire groups (p<0.01). The SmartClip system was more effective even when the traction produced by rectangular wires was compared with the In-Ovation R brackets combined with round wires (p<0.01).
Brackets; Orthodontic wires; Stainless steel; Friction
