Elemental composition of brazing alloys in metallic orthodontic brackets

The aim of this study was to assess the elemental composition of the brazing alloy of representative orthodontic brackets. The brackets examined were Gemini (3M, Unitec, Monrovia, Calif), MicroLoc (GAC, Bohemia, NY), OptiMESHxrt (Ormco, Glendora, Calif), and Ultratrim (Dentarum, Ispringen, Germany). Four metallic brackets for each brand were embedded in epoxy resin and after metallographic grinding and polishing were cleaned in a water ultrasonic bath. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray microanalysis (EDS) were used to assess the quantitative composition of the brazing alloy. Four EDS spectra were collected for each brazing alloy, and the mean value and standard deviation for the concentration of each element were calculated. The elemental composition of the brazing alloys was determined as follows (percent weight): Gemini: Ni = 83.98 +/- 1.02, Si = 6.46 +/- 0.37, Fe = 5.90 +/- 0.93, Cr = 3.52 +/- 0.34; MicroLoc: Ag = 42.82 +/- 0.18, Au = 32.14 +/- 0.65, Cu = 24.53 +/- 0.26, Mg = 1.12 +/- 0.33; OptiMESHxrt: Au = 67.79 +/- 0.97, Fe = 15.69 +/- 0.29, Ni = 13.01 +/- 0.93, Cr = 4.01 +/- 0.35; Ultratrim: Ag = 87.97 +/- 0.33, Cu = 10.51 +/- 0.45, Mg = 1.29 +/- 0.63, Zn = 1.13 +/- 0.24. The findings of this study showed that different brazing materials were used for the different brands, and thus different performances are expected during intraoral exposure; potential effects on the biological properties also are discussed.