A study of the frictional characteristics of four commercially available self-ligating bracket systems

The objective of this investigation was to assess and compare the in vitro tribological behaviour of four commercially available self-ligating bracket systems. The frictional characteristics of the Damon3, Speed, In-Ovation R, and Time2 bracket systems were studied using a jig that mimics the three-dimensional movements that occur during sliding mechanics. Each bracket system was tested on the following stainless steel archwires: 0.016 x 0.022, 0.019 x 0.025, 0.020 round, and 0.021 x 0.021 inch Speed D-wire. An Instron testing machine with a 50 N load cell was used to measure the frictional resistance for each bracket/tooth assembly. The crosshead speed was set at a constant rate of 1 mm/minute, and each typodont tooth was moved along a fixed wire segment for a distance of 8 mm. Descriptive statistical analysis for each bracket/archwire combination with regard to frictional resistance was performed with a two-way, balanced analysis of variance for bracket type and wire size. The Damon3 bracket consistently demonstrated the lowest frictional resistance to sliding, while the Speed bracket produced significantly (P < 0.001) more frictional resistance than the other brackets tested for any given archwire. The self-ligation design (passive versus active) appears to be the primary variable responsible for the frictional resistance generated by self-ligating brackets during translation. Passively ligated brackets produce less frictional resistance; however, this decreased friction may result in decreased control compared with actively ligated systems.