Dynamic frictional behaviour of orthodontic archwires and brackets

The aim of this study was to evaluate the frictional behaviour of 15 different archwires and 16 different brackets using small oscillating displacements when opposed to a standard stainless steel bracket or a standard stainless steel wire. Tests were run according to a pilot study at a frequency of 1 Hz and with a reciprocating tangential displacement of 200 microm, while the wire remained centred in the bracket slot under a load of 2 N. The results indicated a significant difference between the evaluated wires and brackets. The mean coefficient of friction (COF) of the wires varied from 0.16 for Imagination NiTi tooth-coloured wire to 0.69 for the True Chrome Resilient Purple wire, while for the brackets it ranged from 0.39 for Ultratrimm to 0.72 for the Master Series. The fact that in this study, a large number of different commercially available archwires and brackets were evaluated with the same apparatus according to the same protocol, allows a direct comparison of the different archwire and bracket combinations, and can assist in the choice of the optimal bracket-wire combination with regard to friction.