Effect of Mobile Phone with and without Earphones Usage on Nickel Ion Release from Fixed Orthodontic Appliance

This study is an attempt to assess whether the usage of headphones could minimize the nickel ion release from fixed orthodontic appliance compared with hand-held mobile phones. The aim of the study is to validate the hypothesis whether there is a significant variation in nickel ion release from fixed orthodontic appliance among the patients using hand-held mobile phones and patients using mobile earphones.

This is a cross-sectional study where a total of 60 healthy individuals who were undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment in the Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Adhiparasakthi Dental College and Hospital, Melmaruvathur, Chennai, India, and all these individuals were bonded and banded. All of them are class I malocclusion with bimaxillary protrusion. Salivary samples were collected in their regular checkup after two months and 7th, 14th, and 21st days salivary nickel level was evaluated based on their usage of mobile phones with earphones and without earphones.

In this study, paired and independent t-tests were used. On basis of statistics results, the mean of nickel release in both male and female participants using mobile phones without earphones were significantly higher than the participants using mobile phone with earphones.

By our study, we concluded that usage of mobile phones with earphones has a significant reduced effect on metal ion release from fixed orthodontic appliance when compared to usage of mobile phones without earphones.