Galvanic corrosion behavior of orthodontic archwire alloys coupled to bracket alloys

Angle Orthod. 2006 Jul;76(4):705-11. doi: 10.1043/0003-3219(2006)076[0705:GCBOOA]2.0.CO;2.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide a quantitative assessment of galvanic corrosion behavior of orthodontic archwire alloys coupled to orthodontic bracket alloys in 0.9% NaCl solution and to study the effect of surface area ratios. Two common bracket alloys, stainless steels and titanium, and four common wire alloys, nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloy, beta-titanium (beta-Ti) alloy, stainless steel, and cobalt-chromium-nickel alloy, were used. Three different area ratios, 1:1, 1:2.35, and 1:3.64, were used; two of them assumed that the multibracket appliances consists of 14 brackets and 0.016 inch of round archwire or 0.016 x 0.022 inch of rectangular archwire. The galvanic current was measured for 3 successive days using zero-impedance ammeter. When the NiTi alloy was coupled with Ti (1:1, 1:2.35, and 1:3.64 of the surface area ratio) or beta-Ti alloy was coupled with Ti (1:2.35 and 1:3.64 of the surface area ratio), Ti initially was the anode and corroded. However, the polarity reversed in 1 hour, resulting in corrosion of the NiTi or beta-Ti. The NiTi alloy coupled with SUS 304 or Ti exhibited a relatively large galvanic current density even after 72 hours. It is suggested that coupling SUS 304-NiTi and Ti-NiTi may remarkably accelerate the corrosion of NiTi alloy, which serves as the anode. The different anode-cathode area ratios used in this study had little effect on galvanic corrosion behavior.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chromium Alloys / chemistry
  • Corrosion
  • Dental Alloys / chemistry*
  • Dental Materials / chemistry
  • Electric Impedance
  • Electrochemistry
  • Humans
  • Materials Testing
  • Nickel / chemistry
  • Orthodontic Appliance Design
  • Orthodontic Brackets*
  • Orthodontic Wires*
  • Sodium Chloride / chemistry
  • Stainless Steel / chemistry
  • Surface Properties
  • Time Factors
  • Titanium / chemistry

Substances

  • Chromium Alloys
  • Dental Alloys
  • Dental Materials
  • beta titanium
  • titanium nickelide
  • Stainless Steel
  • Sodium Chloride
  • Nickel
  • Titanium