Operating time for wire ligation with self-ligating and conventional brackets: A standardized in vitro study

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Dental Materials Science

Background:

• Self-ligating brackets (SLBs) are increasingly used in orthodontics.
• Literature suggests SLBs offer advantages in operating time.
• Conventional brackets (CBs) require ligatures for archwire fixation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the time efficiency of archwire changes between SLBs and CBs.
• To evaluate the influence of operator expertise on procedure time.
• To investigate different types of SLBs (passive and active) and ligation methods.

Main Methods:

• An in vitro study involving 33 participants across three expertise levels: undergraduate students, postgraduate students, and orthodontists.
• Typodont models with passive SLBs, active SLBs, and CBs (with steel and elastic ligatures) were used.
• Procedure time for archwire insertion, ligation, deligation, and removal was recorded.

Main Results:

• A significant time reduction was observed with SLBs compared to CBs, with the greatest difference (11 min 16 s) noted between passive SLBs and CBs with metallic ligatures.
• Overall, SLBs demonstrated statistically significant time savings across all operators.
• While undergraduates were slowest with CBs, their performance with SLBs showed no significant difference compared to more experienced operators.

Conclusions:

• Self-ligating brackets significantly reduce chair time for archwire changes.
• The time-saving benefits of SLBs are consistent regardless of the operator's experience or training.
• SLBs present a potentially more efficient alternative to conventional brackets in orthodontic procedures.