Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the frictional resistance of ceramic (Perfect clear) sapphire ceramic brackets using round stainless steel and rhodium coated stainless steel orthodontic wires before and after using sodium bicarbonate air abrasive polishing and to evaluate the surface micromorphology of these brackets by means of scanning electron microscopy.
Materials and Methods: 0ne commercial brands of ceramic brackets were evaluated. The fourty specimens were divided into two groups (n = 20) according to the two type of arch wires and each group was divided into four subgroup of five specimens according to the application or not of sodium bicarbonate airborne particle abrasion for (5, 10 and 20) seconds. A device adapted to a universal testing machine was used to simulate the movement of retraction in sliding mechanics, measuring the traction force needed to slide 10 mm of the wire over the test specimen brackets. The test speed was 5 mm/min. The data were analyzed by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey test.
Conclusions: It may be concluded that it is not recommended to apply airborne particle abrasion on the slots of ceramic.

Key words: Airborne particle abrasion; Frictional resistance; Ceramic bracket