Background: The vast range of orthodontic wires made of different alloys makes it increasingly difficult for orthodontists to judge them. Coated orthodontic wires form a group of innovative guiding archwires.
Material and methods: In the present in vitro study the frictional behavior of eight coated wires of different dimensions was investigated in archwire-guided canine retraction in the upper jaw. For this purpose five superelastic nickel titanium alloy wires (Titanol Low Force River Finish Gold and Gold 2: Forestadent, Pforzheim Germany; Titanol Superelastic tooth colored: Forestadent, Pforzheim Germany; BioForce Sentalloy Ionguard: GAC, Central Islip, NY, USA; NITI Imagination: GAC, Central Islip, NY, USA), two beta-titanium wires (TMA Low Friction Ionguard: Ormco, Glendora, CA, USA; TMA Low Friction Ionguard Purple: Ormco, Glendora, CA, USA), and one steel wire (Stainless steel Imagination: GAC, Central Islip, NY, USA) were selected. The coatings were made of Teflon or polyethylene, and by ion implantation. Three uncoated archwires (Rematitan Lite Dimple: Dentaurum, Pforzheim, German; Titanol Low Force River Finish: Forestadent, Pforzheim, Germany; BioForce Sentalloy: GAC, Central Islip, NY, USA) were used for comparison purposes. The force losses due to friction were measured using the Orthodontic Measurement and Simulation System (OMSS).
Results: The results indicated that all coatings can reduce frictional losses compared with an uncoated reference wire by the same manufacturer. Measured frictional losses ranged from 48.3-6.1%, with the Teflon coatings reducing the frictional losses to less than 10% in some cases.
Conclusion: An unequivocal correlation between the surface roughness and frictional forces of the wires could not be verified by scanning electron microscopy.