Chemical-Physical Characterization of PET-G-Based Material for Orthodontic Use: Preliminary Evaluation of micro-Raman Analysis

Fabiana Nicita; Cesare D'Amico; Vincenzo Filardi; Donatella Spadaro; Emidio Aquilio; Maura Mancini; Luca Fiorillo

doi:10.1055/s-0043-1764424

Chemical-Physical Characterization of PET-G-Based Material for Orthodontic Use: Preliminary Evaluation of micro-Raman Analysis

Eur J Dent. 2024 Feb;18(1):228-235. doi: 10.1055/s-0043-1764424. Epub 2023 May 29.

Authors

Fabiana Nicita¹, Cesare D'Amico¹, Vincenzo Filardi², Donatella Spadaro³, Emidio Aquilio⁴, Maura Mancini¹, Luca Fiorillo^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy.
² D.A. Research and Internationalization, University of Messina, Via Consolato del mare 41, Messina, Italy.
³ CNR-IPCF, Institute for Physical Processes, Messina, Italy.
⁴ Lineo Aligners, Torino, Italy.
⁵ Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Dental Specialties, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.

Abstract

Objectives: Orthodontic treatment with clear thermoplastic aligners is in great demand by patients especially for aesthetics. Any alterations in the chemical composition of the thermoplastic material for aligners, subjected to the oral environment and exposure to various commonly used substances, could influence the desired orthodontic movement decreasing the predictability of the treatment. The objective of this study was to determine the chemical-physical characterization by micro-Raman spectroscopy of a thermoplastic material based on polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PET-G) used for the manufacture of Lineo aligners (Micerium Lab, Avegno, Italy) subjected to different staining beverages and cleaning agents.

Materials and methods: Twenty-two thermoformed PET-G samples were immersed to various substances of daily use for 10 and 15 days (coffee, tea, Coca-Cola, red wine, colloidal silver disinfectant, nicotine, artificial saliva, cigarette smoke, and different combinations of saliva with some of the previous solutions). Subsequently, the chemical-physical characterization was investigated by micro-Raman spectroscopy.

Results: The analysis of the spectra acquired for all the specimens showed no difference in the exposure to the different solvents at 10 and 15 days. Furthermore, having ascertained the heterogeneous surface morphology of the PET-G material due to thermoforming, various deposits were present on all the samples whose consistency and concentration depended on the substance used.

Conclusion: The spectroscopic investigations have provided a precise and detailed analysis of the qualitative and structural data of the PET-G material under examination. No significant structural modifications of the thermoplastic polymer were found after immersion in different solutions in the exposure times adopted.

The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).