Comparison of Surface Roughness of Different Orthodontic Archwires: Atomic Force Microscopic Study

Syed Ashique Abdulhameed; Brijesh S; Jose Sunny; Dwijesh S Goswami; Nevin Abraham; Marie Asha Ambroise

doi:10.7759/cureus.51516

Comparison of Surface Roughness of Different Orthodontic Archwires: Atomic Force Microscopic Study

Cureus. 2024 Jan 2;16(1):e51516. doi: 10.7759/cureus.51516. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Authors

Syed Ashique Abdulhameed¹, Brijesh S², Jose Sunny³, Dwijesh S Goswami⁴, Nevin Abraham⁵, Marie Asha Ambroise⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, IND.
² Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Mar Baselios Dental College, Ernakulam, IND.
³ Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Al Azhar Dental College, Thodupuzha, IND.
⁴ Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Ahemdabad Dental College and Hospital, Ahmedabad, IND.
⁵ Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Pushpagiri College of Dental Sciences, Thiruvalla, IND.
⁶ Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Sri Venkateshwaraa Dental College, Puducherry, IND.

Abstract

Background: Surface roughness (SR) of dental components is significant because it impacts the surface area of the contact surface, which in turn affects corrosion behavior and biological compatibility. Orthodontic archwires (OA) with SR can affect the coefficient of friction, which in turn affects how effectively sliding biomechanics work and how the orthodontic appliance works efficiently.

Aim: The objectives of the present investigation were to examine the SR of five distinct kinds of OA using an atomic force microscope (AFM) and to assess the merits of using AFM to analyze orthodontic materials.

Methods: For this investigation, there were five distinct orthodontic archwires with rectangular cross-sectional geometry. There were assigned different categories: Category 1: SmartArch wires (Ormco) (n=20), Category 2: Damon wires (Ormco) (n=20), Category 3: heat-activated nickel-titanium (HANT) wires (G&H Orthodontics) (n=20), Category 4: nickel-titanium (NiTi) wires (G&H Orthodontics) (n=20), Category 5: stainless steel (SS) wires (Ormco) (n=20). Each wire category's 20 samples were selected. Ten samples from each category had 5 mm of wire clipped from the finish point of the archwires. These were observed using the AFM in natural lighting. Using a cyanoacrylate glue that dries quickly, the samples were fastened to a metal holder. Ten randomly chosen patches of the surface, each measuring 15 × 15 µm, were taken from every sample and examined (N = 500).

Results: The mean values of roughness average (Ra) in category 1, category 2, category 3, category 4 and category 5 were 23.08 ± 17.66, 26.78 ± 5.65, 26.66 ± 3.89, 9.71 ± 0.29 and 11.29 ± 2.12 respectively. The values of Ra representing SR were greatest in category 3 (HANT wires) followed by category 2 (Damon wires) while values of SR were minimum in category 4 (NiTi wires) and category 5 (stainless steel wires). The findings had statistical significance also.

Conclusion: The SR of stainless steel wire was discovered to be less than that of the other wires. The SR may have an impact on the efficiency of sliding mechanics as well as the appeal and corrosion resistance of orthodontic components.

Keywords: afm; fixed orthodontics; orthodontic archwires; orthodontics; surface roughness.