A comparison of plain versus multilooped arch wires in stage I of Begg therapy

In order to overcome the reportedly undesirable side effects of using multilooped arch wires in initial stages of Begg mechanotherapy, a clinical study was conducted in which treatment procedure was modified for the mandibular arch in one group of patients, who received nonlooped or plain mandibular arch wires. This group was closely matched with respect to age, sex, severity of malocclusion, and particularly the amount of anterior mandibular crowding with a group of patients who received multilooped arch wires designed very closely according to the classically prescribed methods. Comparison of the two groups by means of cephalometric measurements of the mandibular incisors at the end of Stage I of treatment demonstrated that the IMPA increased significantly more (p = 0.01) in the multilooped arch wire group. The over-all treatment time was not significantly different in the two groups, although it took longer to resolve the anterior mandibular crowding when plain wires were used. On the basis of this study, it would appear that the use of plain rather than multilooped arch wires in the mandibular arch deserves a favorable consideration in early Begg therapy.