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Comparison of Mechanical Properties of Plain and Reversed Curve Nickel-

Titanium Archwires

Article  in  Key Engineering Materials · July 2019

DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.814.372

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Key Engineering Materials Submitted: 2019-02-15
ISSN: 1662-9795, Vol. 814, pp 372-377 Accepted: 2019-04-28
doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.814.372 Online: 2019-07-29
© 2019 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland

Comparison of Mechanical Properties of Plain and Reversed Curve

Nickel-Titanium Archwires
Kanuengnit Pongpat1,a, Niwat Anuwongnukroh2,b*, Surachai Dechkunakorn2,c,
Wassana Wichai3,d and Peerapong Tua-ngam3,e
1
Postgraduate Student, Orthodontic Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University, Thailand
2
Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University, Thailand
3
Research office, Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University, Thailand
a
kanuengnit86@gmail.com, bniwat.anu@mahidol.ac.th, csurachai.dec@mahidol.ac.th
d
wassana.wic@mahidol.ac.th and epeerapong.tua@mahidol.ac.th
Correspondent author: Niwat Anuwongnukroh

Keywords: Plain NiTi archwire, Reversed curve NiTi archwire, Unloading force, Stiffness,
Springback, Surface hardness

Abstract In orthodontics, nickel-titanium wires are used for teeth alignment and leveling. For
leveling the curve of Spee, reversed curve archwires are often used to increase the vertical force
needed to correct a deep bite.
Objectives: The aims of this study were to investigate and compare the mechanical properties
(unloading force, stiffness, springback, and surface hardness) of the pre-formed plain and reversed
curved NiTi archwires.
Materials and Methods: NiTi wires of dimensions 0.016x0.022 inch were divided into two
groups, Group 1 - plain and Group 2- reversed curve NiTi archwires. For each type of the archwire,
load-deflection curve obtained from a three-point bending test, performed by a Texture Analyser
(TA.XT.plus, Stable Micro System, United Kingdom) with 5 kg load cell at room temperature, was
used to analyze unloading force, springback, and stiffness. Surface hardness was measured by
Vickers micro-hardness tester. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the variables of this study.
Results: The results showed that the unloading force of each deflection point of the reversed curve
NiTi archwire was more than the plain archwire. The means of unloading force, stiffness, and
springback were 2.42 N, 2.76 N; 0.28 N/mm, 0.49 N/mm; and 2.94 mm, 2.98 mm for the plain
archwire and reversed curve NiTi archwire, respectively. The properties of reversed curve NiTi
archwire were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the plain NiTi archwire, except the springback.
The surface hardness of the plain archwire was significantly higher (p<0.05) than reversed curve
NiTi archwire in each segment.
Conclusion: The reversed curve NiTi archwire had more unloading force and stiffness than plain
NiTi archwire. For the correction of deep curve of Spee in orthodontic treatment, clinicians must be
aware of the vertical force needed during intrusion of lower incisors or the wires should be used in
the later leveling and aligning stage.

Introduction
The first stage of orthodontic treatment entails leveling and aligning. During this stage,
archwires with desirable stiffness are required to correct vertical and horizontal discrepancies. The
forces in play during leveling and aligning are deactivation forces; hence, clinicians should have
knowledge of deactivation forces to level and align the malposition teeth [1]. According to
orthodontic theories, light and continuous forces are desirable to obtain physiologic and controlled
movement of teeth and adjacent structures. Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) alloy archwires have been used
widely in clinical orthodontic treatment because of their extraordinary properties of shape memory
and superelasticity. They can provide light continuous forces during treatment. Light forces can

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 Key Engineering Materials Vol. 814 373

limit bone hyalinization and reduce undermining resorption, thus, allowing for a more physiological
tooth movement. The leveling of the curve of Spee by intrusion of anterior teeth and/or extrusion of
posterior teeth is important to achieve a functional occlusion [2-6]. Generally, the response to the use
of such arches includes the extrusion of lower premolars, some degree of uprighting the lower
molars, and proclination of lower incisors [7].
One strategy proposed at the end of the 1980 [8] is the addition of a reversed curve in NiTi
archwires, which increases deflection and, consequently, the vertical force. This strategy is effective
and offers advantages over the conventional “straight archwire” technique. Since vertical correction
begins with the initial round NiTi archwire or as soon as a rectangular archwire of the same alloy is
placed, it has some limitations. When stress is applied to a NiTi archwire, it undergoes a martensitic
transformation that increases its superelastic features, which exerts less force to the teeth.
Furthermore, increased crown-labial torque that the reversed curve exerts on the mandibular
incisors, when used in it rectangular form, often produces undesirable effects.
Nowadays, there are many forms of NiTi archwires such as plain archwire, and reversed curve
archwire available for different purposes in the field of orthodontics. This in-vitro study was
designed to investigate and compare the mechanical properties of unloading force, stiffness,
springback, and surface hardness of plain and reversed curved nickel titanium orthodontic
archwires.

Materials and Methods

1. Preformed plain superelastic NiTi archwires, 0.016x0.022 inch, Highland USA (Fig.1)
2. Preformed curve superelastic NiTi archwires, 0.016x0.022 inch, Highland USA (Fig.2)

Fig 1. Preformed plain NiTi archwire Fig.2 Preformed reversed curve NiTi archwire
Sample Preparation
In this study, Group 1 consisted of plain preformed superelastic NiTi archwires and Group 2
consisted of preformed reversed curve superelastic NiTi archwires with dimensions 0.016x0.022
inch from Highland USA. Plain archwires and the most curved part of reversed curve archwires
were cut into 30 mm sample length. Twelve samples were used for testing the mechanical
properties.
Methods
Three-point bending test: Eight specimens of each group with 18 mm in length were used
(6 mm at two ends of each sample were cut, the samples with 18 mm in length could be placed
properly on the stand). Three point bending test was performed by a Texture analyzer (TA.XT.plus,
Stable Micro System, United Kingdom) with 5 kg load cell at room temperature (Fig.3-4).
Unloading force was measured at deflection of 3 mm. The unloading force (the plots from the load-
deflection curve) of each specimen was selected for analysis because it represents the force
374 Advanced Materials and Engineering Materials VIII

delivered from the archwire during orthodontic treatment. All specimens were subjected to a
symmetrical three-point bending test with two supporting points which were set 10 mm apart. An
indenter speed was set at 2mm/min. The unloading forces at deflections of 3.0, 2.0, 1.0, 0.5 mm
were calculated.

Fig.3 Archwire before applied load Fig.4 Archwire under applied load

Stiffness test: The stiffness was measured from the slopes of the load-deflection curve at the
range of deflection between 1 to 2 mm. Springback test: The springback distance was calculated
based on the difference in distance at the starting 3-mm deflection and the endpoint where load
returned to zero.
Vickers micro-hardness test: For each group, four specimens were used. The specimen
measured 30 mm in length and was divided into 3 equal parts- anterior, middle and posterior. All
the samples had a flat surface which were free of any defects that could affect the indentation or the
subsequent measurement of the diagonals. The sample was placed perpendicularly on the stage to
the indenture axis and 300g-load was selected. The diagonals of Vickers indentations were
measured within 0.1 μm.

Statistical Analysis
Three-point bending test, unloading forces, stiffness, and springback were analyzed by
Kruskal-Wallis test. Micro-hardness test was also analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test to compare the
same segment between groups. All statistical tests were set at 95% confidence interval; the
fundamental significance level was set at α=0.05.

Results
The result of three-point bending test showed that the mean of unloading forces at each
deflection point 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mm of the plain NiTi archwire were lesser than the reversed
curve NiTi archwires (Table 1). The average unloading force and stiffness were 2.41± 0.11 N and
0.28± 0.02 N/mm for the plain NiTi archwire and 2.76± 0.07 N and 0.49± 0.03 N/mm for the
reversed curve NiTi archwires, respectively. There were significant (p<0.05) differences in the
unloading force and stiffness of the plain and reversed curve NiTi archwires; however, no
significant differences were observed in the springback of both types of archwires (Table 2). For the
surface hardness, there were significant (p<0.05) differences at the anterior, middle and posterior
segment between two types of archwires. The plain NiTi archwire presented significantly (p<0.05)
higher surface hardness in each segment than the reversed curve NiTi archwire (Table 3).
 Key Engineering Materials Vol. 814 375

Table 1. Mean and standard deviation of unloading force at deflection point 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 mm of
preformed plain and reversed curve NiTi archwire
Mean of unloading force (N) at each deflection level (mm)
Group
0.5 mm 1 mm 2 mm 3 mm
Plain archwire 2.14±0.17 2.16±0.13 2.35±0.13 4.14±0.13
Reversed curve archwire 2.20±0.06 2.24±0.07 2.73±0.08 4.67±0.06

Table 2. Mean and standard deviation of unloading force, stiffness, and spring back of preformed
plain and reversed curve NiTi archwire
Group Mean of unloading Stiffness Spring back
force (N) (N/mm) (mm)
Plain archwire 2.42±0.11 0.28 ±0.02 2.94±0.01
Reversed curve 2.76±0.07 0.49± 0.03 2.98± 0.02
archwire
Sig S S NS

Table 3. Mean and standard deviation of surface hardness at anterior, middle and posterior segment
of preformed plain and reversed curve NiTi archwire
Group Anterior (g/mm2) Middle (g/mm2) Posterior (g/mm2)
Plain archwire 340.64±3.69 334.23± 0.67 354.82± 0.49
Reversed curve 323.93±13.5 325.89± 8.84 324.91± 10.66
archwire
Sig S S S
S: significant difference at P<0.05

Discussion
When a clinician engages a wire into the bracket slots of an appliance, energy is stored
which represents the activation forces. While the archwire tries to return to its original position,
work is done on the dentition, as shown by the tooth movement which constitutes the deactivation
forces[9]. Hence, the force in play to level and align the teeth is not the activation force but the
deactivation force or unloading force of the appliance. The activation and deactivation behaviors of
a wire might not be the same. Therefore, force-deflection graphs generated during the activation
(loading) and deactivation (unloading) cycles are not the same. Knowledge of the deactivation
behavior is important to the clinician for optimal wire selection. [10-11]
Unloading mean stress represent the residual stress not consumed by hysteresis phenomenon,
equaling to the amount of stress which is transmitted to tooth after wire activation during
orthodontic appointments. In load-defection curve, the unloading plateau is characterized by a
horizontal region where a constant force is exerted over a particular range of tooth movements. The
archwire resistance to attachment into bracket slots and intensity of the force delivered to the teeth
on unloading are mechanical factor that affect the tooth movement.
Initiation of orthodontic treatment with leveling archwires requires wires with a great range to
accommodate the usual malalignment of bracket slots in the untreated malocclusion. Low stiffness
is advantageous so that the forces can be kept at gentle as possible [12,13,14]. The orthodontists often
use reversed curve archwires to increase the vertical force needed to correct a deep bite. NiTi wires
are preferred by clinicians because of a wider working range and higher springback.
For this study the unloading forces of plain and reversed curve NiTi archwire were increased when
the deflection point increased, except at the defection point of 3 mm. However, the mean of the
unloading force and stiffness of the reversed curve NiTi archwire were significantly more than the
plain NiTi archwire. These might be due to the processing of the reversed curve form of the
376 Advanced Materials and Engineering Materials VIII

archwire by heating and the loading of the reversed curve archwire at the most curve of archwire in
this study.
Regarding previous studies on the force delivery during unloading, Gatto et al [15] showed values
between 60-100 g when comparing different manufacturers. Similarly, Bartzela et al [16] presented
an interval between 139-239 g, and Lombardo et al [17] disclosed values between 78.4-109.6 g [15-17].
All the authors tested different manufacturers of superelastic orthodontic 0.014” archwires,
exception Bartzela et al. who tested a 0.016” round wire. Although different manufacturers and
mechanical test parameters were compared, none of the authors followed the 3.1 mm deflection
stated by the ISO 15841. In the present study, the unloading forces were in the range 2.14 - 4.14 N
and 2.20 – 4.67 N for the plain and reversed curve archwires, respectively. These values represented
a greater range of unloading force, which was more than the previous studies. This could be because
this study used rectangular wire samples (0.016x0.022”) and loading force into 3.00 mm following
the ISO 15841. The optimal compression on periodontal tissue should be in the range between
7x10-4 MPa (7 g/cm2) and 2.6x10-3 MPa (26 g/cm2) [18,19,20].
The selection of an appropriate wire size and alloy type would, in turn, help to obtain optimum and
predictable treatment results [21]. The strength, stiffness, and range of a wire are important to carry
out specific objectives at different stages of the orthodontic treatment [21,22,23]. Increasing the
reversed curve in an archwire produces more efficient leveling. The clinician should understand that
the depth of the reversed curve in an archwire places greater stress on the roots of the incisors and
the molars, which has a greater risk for root resorption.

Conclusion
In clinical application the plain or reversed NiTi archwire should not be used with severe
irregularity teeth or should be used only in the later leveling stage where there will be optimal
physical tooth movement.

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