Abstract
Aims: To compare the frictional forces between different types of aesthetic brackets and Nickel Titanium (NiTi) arch wires during leveling and alignment stage of orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods: The sample of the study included three types of ceramic brackets: active self–ligating, monocrystalline and polycrystalline with metal slot in combination with 0.014” and 0.016” NiTi arch wires. The friction setup includes a custom–designed model with three nonleveled and nonaligned brackets. All tests were carried out in a dry state on a digital tensile testing machine. The data were analyzed using the descriptive and inferential statistical tests at (p<0.05) significance level. Results: The results demonstrated that there were statistically significant differences between the studied groups of brackets and arch wires (p<0.05). Conclusions: The combination of the active self–ligating ceramic bracket with 0.014” NiTi arch wire has the least frictional force in the leveling and alignment stage as well as the ceramic bracket with metal slot is a good alternative to solve the problem of friction.
