Objective: This study aimed at evaluating the design and dimensions of five different brands of orthodontic mini-implants, as well as their influence on torsional fracture strength. Methods: Fifty mini-implants were divided into five groups corresponding to different manufactures (DEN, RMO, CON, NEO, SIN). Twenty-five mini-implants were subjected to fracture test by torsion in the neck and the tip, through arbors attached to a Universal Mechanical Testing Machine. The other 25 mini-implants were subjected to insertion torque test into blocks of pork ribs using a torquimeter and contra-angle handpiece mounted in a surgical motor. The shape of the active tip of the mini-implants was evaluated under microscopy. The non-parametric Friedman test and Snedecor’s F in analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to evaluate the differences between groups. Results: The fracture torque of the neck ranged from 23.45 N.cm (DEN) to 34.82 N.cm (SIN), and of the tip ranged from 9.35 N.cm (CON) to 24.36 N.cm (NEO). Insertion torque values ranged from 6.6 N.cm (RMO) to 10.2 N.cm (NEO). The characteristics that most influenced the results were outer diameter, inner diameter, the ratio between internal and external diameters, and the existence of milling in the apical region of the mini-implant. Conclusions: The fracture torques were different for both the neck and the tip of the five types evaluated. NEO and SIN mini-implants showed the highest resistance to fracture of the neck and tip. The fracture torques of both tip and neck were higher than the torque required to insert mini-implants.

OBJETIVO: avaliar a composição química e rugosidade do fundo do slot de 90 braquetes metálicos divididos em 9 grupos: grupo 1- aço inoxidável (Equilibrium 2 - Dentaurum); grupo 2 - titânio (Equilibrium ti - Dentaurum); grupo 3- cromo-cobalto (Topic- Dentaurum); grupo 4 - aço inoxidável (Standard -TP Orthodontics); grupo 5 - aço inoxidável (Serie light - American Orthodontics); grupo 6 - aço inoxidável (Kirium Line - Abzil Lancer); grupo 7 - aço inoxidável livre de níquel (Monobloc - Morelli); grupo 8 - aço inoxidável (Convencional- Morelli) e grupo 9 - aço inoxidável livre de níquel (Monobloc Golden - Morelli). METODOLOGIA: a composição química foi analisada pela Espectroscopia de Energia Dispersiva. A avaliação qualitativa do fundo do slot foi realizada através do MEV classificada de 0 a 8, correspondente às características da superfície. RESULTADOS: composição química - grupo 1 = titânio puro; grupo 9 = recoberto por nitreto de titânio em 99,48%; grupo 3 = cromo-cobalto; grupo 8 = aço inoxidável livre de níquel. Os demais grupos são compostos de aço inoxidável. Avaliação da superfície - grupo 1 = valor 2 (superfície mais polida); grupos 2, 5 e 7 = valor 3 (aspecto de polimento); grupos 3, 8 e 9 = valor 6 (menor polimento); grupo 4 = valor 6,5 (maior rugosidade) e o grupo 6 = valor 5 (características intermediárias de polimento). CONCLUSÕES: os braquetes metálicos são compostos de diferentes ligas e estão disponíveis com baixo conteúdo ou ausência de níquel. Os braquetes de titânio apresentaram polimento semelhante aos de aço inoxidável, porém os recobertos por nitreto de titânio e os de cromo-cobalto mostraram superfície mais irregular ou menos polida.

Mini-implants from different manufacturers presented active tips with different characteristics. Mechanical testing is necessary to correlate the analyzed characteristics aiming to determine the best performance.

Influence of saliva contamination on the shear bond strength of adhesives on enamel original articleObjective: To evaluate shear bond strength of 3 adhesive systems (Single Bond, Transbond™ MIP and Transbond™ XT) applied on bovine enamel under saliva contamination condition. Method:One hundred and twenty enamel surfaces of bovine incisors were divided into 6 groups (n = 20) according to the adhesive system used (Transbond™ XT, Transbond™ MIP and Single Bond) with or without saliva contamination. For each adhesive system, there were two groups defined as no contamination group (NC): 37% H 3 PO 4 conditioning for 30 seconds and two layers of adhesive systems; saliva contamination group (SC): After the first adhesive layer application, the examined areas were contaminated with saliva. Samples were mounted appropriately for testing and stored in deionized water at 37 °C for 7 days. Samples were then submitted to shear bond strength trials at a speed of 0.5 mm/min. The Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI) was evaluated under stereomicroscopy. Twoway analysis of variance and the Tukey test were used to compare mean values (α = 0.05).Results: Groups XT (NC) = 26.29 ± 7.23; MIP (NC) = 24.47 ± 7.52 and SB (NC) = 32.36 ± 4.14 XT (SC) = 19.59 ± 6.76; MIP (SC) = 18.08 ± 6.39 and SB (SC) = 18.18 ± 7.03 MPa. ARI 0 and 1 were the most prevalent scores in all study groups examined. Conclusion:Saliva contamination significantly decreased bond strength of the three adhesive systems examined (p <0.05). However, the comparison of groups with and without saliva contamination did not reveal any significant differences, and, therefore, the three systems may be considered equivalent.

Physicochemical properties and biological effects of quaternary ammonium methacrylates in an experimental adhesive resin for bonding orthodontic brackets Fixed orthodontic appliances may lead to biofilm accumulation around them that may increase caries risk. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of quaternary ammonium methacrylates (QAMs) on the physicochemical properties, cytotoxicity, and antibacterial activity of adhesive resins for orthodontic purposes. Methodology: A base resin was prepared with a comonomer blend and photoinitiator/co-initiator system. Two different QAMs were added to the base adhesive: dimethylaminododecyl methacrylate at 5 wt.% (DMADDM) or dimethylaminohexadecyl methacrylate (DMAHDM) at 10 wt.%. The base adhesive, without QAMs, (GC) and the commercial Transbond™ XT Primer 3M (GT) were used as control. The resins were tested immediately and after six months of aging in the water regarding the antibacterial activity and shear bond strength (SBS). The antibacterial activity was tested against Streptococcus mutans via metabolic activity assay (MTT test). The groups were also tested for the degree of conversion (DC) and cytotoxicity against keratinocytes. Results: The resins containing QAM showed antibacterial activity compared to the commercial material by immediately reducing the metabolic activity by about 60%. However, the antibacterial activity decreased after aging (p<0.05). None of the groups presented any differences for SBS (p>0.05) and DC (p>0.05). The incorporation of DMADDM and DMAHDM significantly reduced the keratinocyte viability compared to the GT and GC groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: Both adhesives with QAMs showed a significant reduction in bacterial metabolic activity, but this effect decreased after water aging. Lower cell viability was observed for the group with the longer alkyl chain-QAM, without significant differences for the bonding ability and degree of conversion. The addition of QAMs in adhesives may affect the keratinocytes viability, and the aging effects maybe decrease the bacterial activity of QAM-doped materials.