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Effect of Esthetic Coating on the Load Deflection and Surface Characteristics

of the NiTi Orthodontic Archwires

Article  in  Revista de Chimie -Bucharest- Original Edition- · March 2015

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 Effect of Esthetic Coating on the Load Deflection and Surface
Characteristics of the NiTi Orthodontic Archwires

SILVIA-IZABELLA POP1, MIRCEA DUDESCU2, DANA CRISTINA BRATU3*, VIOLETA-VALENTINA MERIE4 , MARIANA PACURAR1
1
University of Medicine and Pharmacy Târgu-Mures, Department of Paedodontics and Orthodontics, 38 Gh. Marinescu Str.,
Târgu Mures, Mures, Romania
2
Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 28 Memorandumului Str., 400114, Cluj-Napoca,
Romania
3
University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Paedodontics and Orthodontics, 9
Revolutiei Str., Timisoara, Romania
4
Technical University of Cluj Napoca, Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, 28 Memorandumului Str., 400114, Cluj-
Napoca, Romania

The aim of the present study was to evaluate and to compare the mechanical properties and force levels of
as-received and retrieved coated and regular NiTi archwires. The surface characteristics and coating stability
after intraoral exposure were also analyzed. Twenty regular (Lowland NiTi) and twenty epoxy coated (Spectra
Aesthetic NiTi) NiTi wires of the same shape and dimension, around 0.016 inch, from a single manufacturer
(GAC Company TM) were investigated. Ten as received regular and ten coated wires were subject to tensile
tests and three point bending tests. Twenty archwires, from the same type and diameter were used in vivo
for a period of 4-6 weeks and then subject to the same testing protocol. Optical and scanning electron
microscopes were used to asses surface topography of the wires. Compared with the as received regular
wire, the as received coated archwires showed highly significant differences for the ultimate tensile strength
(p=0.001) and modulus of elasticity (p= 0.017). The yield strength also showed lower values, but these are
not statistically significant. There were no differences between as received and retrieved archwires of the
same type. Significantly lower loading and unloading forces were obtained for the coated archwires compared
with the as received regular wires. SEM images of the as received coated NiTi wires showed small
delamination and irregularities of the coating over some points. The retrieved coated wires have an
inhomogeneus surface with more irregularities and loss of surface materials. The as received regular NiTi
wires surface exhibited specific irregularities due to the manufacture process, while the retrieved wires had
corrosion signs with numerous pitting and cracks patterns.
Key words: surface characteristics, esthetic archwires, nickel-titanium (NiTi)

Tooth movement for achieving dental aligment and
functional occlusion is clinically obtained through the
application of orthodontic forces developed by a system
composed by archwires and brackets [1]. The esthetic
apearance of the archwire-bracket system is rated by
patients, especially adults, as a significant factor [2]. While
the introduction of transparent ceramic and composite
brackets partially solved the problem, the archwires are
still made of metals such as nickel-titanium, stainless steel
or beta titanium [3]. Coating technology for metallic
archwires based on plastic resin materials has been
recently developed and it is intented for improving esthetics.
The materials used in the coating process are teflon TM and
epoxy resin [3,4].
From a chemical point of view, the teflon is a
polytetrafluoroethene, applied on the wire surface using
clean compressed air as a transport medium. The wires
are then heat treated in a chamber furnance [5]. The epoxy
resins, also known as polyepoxides are a class of reactive
prepolymers and polymers which contain epoxide groups.
Epoxies have excellent adhesion, chemical and heat
resistance, good-to-excellent mechanical properties and
very good electrical insulating properties [3].
Little information is available in the orthodontic literature
regarding the mechanical properties and surface
characteristics of the coated archwires after intraoral use.
Although, some authors found the coating undurable [4],
the same plastic coating decrease friction between
archwires and brackets, according to Hussman [5]. Other
authors have also observed disadvantages of these
archwires, claiming that the coating splits during use in
the mouth and it tends to change colour with time [6-8].
The mechanical properties of an orthodontic archwire
evaluated by tensile and bending tests are a very good
indicator of the wires clinical performances. Hence, from
a biomechanical point of view, the biologic nature of tooth
movement might be predicted by the load-deflection curves
and the stess-strain diagramsof an orthodontic archwires
[7]. At the same time, the surface quality of the archwires
influences the corrosion behaviour, the plaque retention
and biocompatibility [9]. The friction coefficient could also
be increased by the surface roughness of the archwire [8].
The aim of the present study was to evaluate and to
compare the mechanical properties and force levels of
as-received and retrieved coated and regular NiTi
archwires. The surface characteristics and coating stability
after intraoral exposure were also analyzed.
Experimental part
Materials and methods
Twenty regular (Lowland NiTi) and twenty epoxy coated
(Spectra Aesthetic NiTi) NiTi wires of the same shape and
dimension around 0.016 inch from a single manufacturer
were purchased. Ten archwires of each type were used

* email: danacristinabratu@yahoo.com; Tel.: 0040744835314

364 http://www.revistadechimie.ro REV. CHIM. (Bucharest) ♦ 66 ♦ No. 3 ♦ 2015

during fixed orthodontic treatment of 10 patients. The
inclusion criteria of the patients were:
- good general medical status ( no medication or
diseases interfering with normal salivary secretion);
- similar age;
- similar mallocclusions, no extractions or congenitally
missing teeth;
- upper and lower fixed appliance inserted.
The archwires were used intraorrally from 4 to 6 weeks
and ligated with elastomeric ligatures. Retrieval protocol
of the archwires included: rinsing with distilled water to
remove any precipitations and placing the archwires in a
self-closed plastic bag. The bags were labelled, recording
the date of placement and retrieval, name of patient and
type of archwire.
The wires were subject to tensile and bending tests.
The distal straight segments of each preformed arches
were tested.
An Instron Universal Testing Machine type 3366, 10kN
was used to perform the tests. The measured values were
recorded for each specimen by the testing machine
software InstronBluehill 2. The collected data was exported
in spreadsheet file format (Microsoft Excel).
Tensile stress at yield (0.2%), tensile stress at maximum
load and modulus of elasticity were determined using a
standard tensile test for each group of the wire. Five wires
were tested individually. The span of the wire between
crossheads was 40 mm and the crosshead speed of the
machine was set to 1 mm/min for all tests. The load-
displacement data obtained from the tensile test were used
to get the stress-strain diagrams.
The retrieved coated NiTi wires could not be subject to
tensile stress due to technical difficulties. During the test,
the coating of the wires tend to exfoliate and the wires
slipped from the jaws of the machine. The as received
coated wires have a distal, uncoated portion, which offers
necessary retention during tensile testing.
In order to determine the load-deflection characteristics
of the wires, each specimen was subject to a three-point
bending test (Miura et al. modified by Krishnan and Kumar
[10]). The specimens were ligated with elastomeric
ligatures in the slots of four edgewise brackets (3B STD
Edgeweise). These brackets were glued to an aluminum
base, such a way that a 14 mm span was created between
the internal sides of two adjacent brackets. The base was
attached to the lower jaw of the machine. A metal blade,
with a curvature of 1 mm of its extremity, was fixed to the
Table 2
COMPARISON OF THE
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
OF THE COATED AND
REGULAR NiTi WIRES
REV. CHIM. (Bucharest) ♦ 66 ♦ No. 3 ♦ 2015 http://www.revistadechimie.ro
upper jaw of the machine, to deflect the mid portion of
each sample. Each Ni-Ti wire was deflected 4 mm, at a
deflection speed of 1mm/min and then returned to its
starting point at the same speed. The loading forces were
reported at 2 and 4 mm and unloading forces at 2 mm.
All the data obtained from the 2 tests described above
were statistically analyzed. Descriptive analysis was made
to determine the mean and standard deviation values.
Student t test was performed in order to compare the
results. Statistically significant differences (p<.05) were
evaluated for all measurements. Statistical analysis was
performed using Microsoft Excel.
Four regular and four coated archwires (4 as received
and 4 retrieved) were randomly selected and subject to
microscope analysis (Olympus GX 51 and Quanta 3D FEI).
Surface morphology of each wire was studied.
Results and discussions
Tensile test
The results of the tensile test for both as received and
retrieved regular and coated wires are shown in table 1. It
can be seen (table2) that, compared with the as received
regular wire, the as received coated archwires have
registered lower values for all the three properties, and the
differences were highly significant for the ultimate tensile
strength (p=0.001) and modulus of elasticity (p= 0.017).
The yield strength also showed lower values, but these
were not statistically significant.
In table 3 the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength
and modulus of elasticity for the as received and retrieved
regular archwires are compared. Although the exhibited
values (excepting the yield strength) are lower, the
differnces are not statistically significant.
Bending test
The loading and unloading forces of the tested wires are
shown in table 4.
There were no differences between as received and
retrieved archwires of the same type. Significantly lower
loading and unloading forces were obtained for the coated
archwires compared with the as received regular wires.
Moreover, the value of coated wires unloading force was
very close to 0. Examination of the set-up after bending
test of the coated archwires showed that the archwires
did not slide back through the ligated brackets, the archwire
remained bended, although the load was released (fig. 1).
Table 1
VALUES OBTAINED THROUGH TENSILE
TESTING OF THE REGULAR AND COATED AS
RECEIVED AND COATED ARCHWIRES
Table 3
COMPARISION OF THE
MECHANICAL
PROPERTIES OF AS
RECEIVED AND
RETRIEVED REGULAR
NiTi WIRES
365

Fig.1. Coated
archwire after
bending test.
Microscopic analysis
Figure 2-5 represents the microscopic images of both
as received and retrieved archwires. The SEM images of
the same wire types are shown in figure 6-9. SEM images
of the as received coated NiTi wires show small
delamination and irregularities of the coating over some
points. The retrieved coated wires have an inhomogeneus
surface with more irregularities and loss of surface
materials. The light microscope images confirm the anterior
aspects.
The as received regular NiTi wires surface exhibited
specific irregularities due to the manufacture process. The
retrieved wires had corrosion signs with numerous pitting
patterns and cracks.
A comprehensive knowledge of orthodontic archwires
allows the orthodontist to make an informed and better
choice, on the basis of biomechanical requirement of the
clinical situation. The mechanical properties of regular
NiTiarchwires were intensively studied in numerous works
[2,5, 9-19], although the great majority of the authors
focused their attention on the characteristics of the as
received wires. Eliades et al [8] emphasized the
importance of the retrival studies, as the complex conditions
present in the oral cavity, including plaque accumulation
and biofilm formation alter the surface properties and
structural conformation of the archwires.
The tensile tests offer information about the yield
strength, ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus of
a wire [7]. In our study, these parameters showed lower
values for the coated archwires, compared with the regular
ones. A possible explanation could be the decreased size
366 http://www.revistadechimie.ro
Table 4
LOADING AND UNLOADING FORCES IN
NEWTONS OF THE REGULAR AND COATED
ARCHWIRES
of the NiTi wires occupying the inner core of the coated
wires [20].
No significant differences were recorded between the
as received and retrieved regular archwires, regarding the
tensile properties, showing that a mean one month
intraoral exposure could not relevantly affect the yield
strength, ultimate tensile strength or elastic modulus.
However, corrosion signs were found on the surface
topography of the retrieved wires, while the as received
wires exhibited numerous irregularities, specific to the
manufacture process.
Eliades et al. [8] stated that the retrieved NiTi wires are
coated by intra-orally formed proteinaceus integuments.
The intraoral exposure period and the individual oral
circumstances of the patients determine the extent of that
specific coating. Crevice and pitting corrosion pattern has
also been documented on NiTi wires in vitro [21], although
no effects on physical and mechanical properties of the
wires have been identified [8].
In the present study, the load deflection characteristics
of the wires were evaluated by means of the three point
bending test. The three-point bending test has numerous
advantages: it simulates application of wire pressure on
the teeth in the oral cavity, differentiate wires with
superelastic properties and offers reproductible results
[10]. From the load-deflection diagram, produced by the
three-point bending test, loading and unloading force values
can be determined. While, the clinical importance of the
loading forces is reduced (it represents the force needed
to engage the wire to the brackets), the unloading forces
represents the forces delivered to the periodontal structures
[20]. The esthetic coated archwires produced lower forces
than the regular wires, in both loading and unloading at 4
mm deflection. In fact, the unloading forces of the coated
wires were very close to 0 (0.09 for as received and 0.10
for retrieved specimens). This indicates that efficiency of
the coated wires to generate tooth movement is reduced.
Furthermore, the deflected specimens were unable to slide
back after the load was released. This could be due to the
increased friction between the archwire-bracket system.
Our results are in accordance with the results of Elavyan’s
study [21] regarding the coated NiTi wires with
conventional and self-ligating bracket system. Kaphor[20]
Fig 2. Optical microscopic images of: a) as received
coated NiTi wire, b) coated NiTi wire after 5 weeks
of intraoral use, c) as received regular NiTiarchwire,
d) regular NiTiarchwire after 4 weeks of intraoral use
REV. CHIM. (Bucharest) ♦ 66 ♦ No. 3 ♦ 2015

also observed lower force values of the coated archwires
from 4 different manufacturers.
Literature findings stated that the surface treatment in
aesthetic wires contributes to a reduction in the frictional
properties of the archwires [17-19,23]. Moreover, the best
results were reported for Teflon coated wires [23]. After
intraoral use the surface modified wires become rougher
with time, the plaque accumulation and colour instability
being encouraged by this rough surface [8,17]. In our study,
SEM images of the retrieved coated archwires revelead
variable amounts of deterioration. The coating remained
intact in some areas, while in others delamination and
discoloured were observed. Hence, esthetic value of the
archwires are clearly affected.
Conclusions
As received coated archwires have significantly lower
values of ultimate tensile strength and modulus of elasticity
when compared to the as received regular NiTi wires.
Surface corrosion signs of the retrieved regular NiTi
archwires were observed.
The esthetic coating of the archwires suffered variable
amounts of deterioration.
Both as received and retrieved coated archwires
produced significantly lower unloading force values than
regular NiTi archwires.
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Fig. 3 SEM images of: a) as received coated NiTi
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Manuscript received: 13.06.2014
367