Evidence of variable bacterial colonization on coloured elastomeric ligatures during orthodontic treatment: An...

Area of Science:

• Dental materials science
• Microbiology
• Orthodontics

Background:

• Microbial adhesion to orthodontic ligatures contributes to dental ailments.
• Elastomeric ligatures are commonly used in orthodontic treatment.
• Material choice may influence microbial adhesion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess bacterial adhesion on different elastomeric ligatures, focusing on colored variants.
• To evaluate the impact of ligature material and color on bacterial colonization.

Main Methods:

• A split-mouth study involving 240 elastomeric ligature samples from 40 orthodontic patients.
• Four types of elastomeric rings (Superslick, clear, blue, pink) were used.
• Bacterial enumeration of removed ligatures and saliva samples after six weeks.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in bacterial counts were observed among different elastomeric modules.
• Conventional pigmented modules (pink and blue) exhibited higher bacterial counts than Superslick and clear modules.
• Bacterial adhesion followed the pattern: Conventional pink > Conventional Blue > Superslick > Clear.

Conclusions:

• Bacterial colonization on orthodontic modules is dependent on color and material properties.
• Surface chemistries influence biofilm formation potential.
• Redesigning elastomeric rings could be a strategy to reduce bacterial adhesion.