Reduction of biofilm on orthodontic brackets with the use of a polytetrafluoroethylene coating

Abstract

Treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances can cause enamel demineralization by increased biofilm adhesion. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating reduces biofilm formation on orthodontic brackets. One PTFE-coated bracket and one uncoated stainless steel bracket were bonded symmetrically on the first or second (four maxillary and nine mandibular) primary molars in 13 adolescent patients (five females and eight males, aged 11.2 +/- 2.8 years; four dropouts) for 8 weeks. Quantitative biofilm formation on brackets was analysed with the Rutherford backscattering detection (RBSD) method, a scanning electron microscopy technique. A total of five RBSD micrographs were obtained per bracket with views from the buccal, mesial, distal, cervical, and occlusal aspects. A two-sided paired t-test was used to compare data. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Total biofilm formation was 4.0 +/- 3.6 per cent of the surface on the PTFE-coated brackets and 22.2 +/- 5.4 per cent on uncoated brackets. Differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Pairwise comparison of biofilm formation with respect to location (buccal, mesial, distal, cervical, and occlusal) revealed a significantly lower biofilm accumulation on PTFE-coated brackets on all surfaces. The results indicate that PTFE coating of brackets reduces biofilm adhesion to a minimum and might have the potential to reduce iatrogenic side effects, e.g. decalcification during orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances.

Stainless Steel: Material Facts for the Orthodontic Practitioner

“…Increasing biocompatibility is one of these goals since corrosion products released by this alloy to the surrounding tissues may be harmful for the host [81]. Therefore, several approaches and materials have been used by different authors to enhance its biocompatibility, such as the application of ceramic coatings to orthodontic stainless steel wires [81], the use of silver-platinum coatings [82], or the coating of orthodontic brackets with polytetrafluoroethylene (ptfe) [83]. The decrease in friction between wires and brackets is another important factor in orthodontics since a reduction in friction might shorten the treatment time and improve anchorage control [84].…”

Coating and Surface Treatments on Orthodontic Metallic Materials

“…However, clinical approaches have also been tried. Demling et al [52] coated stainless steel brackets with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and randomly placed them in the oral cavities of children for eight weeks to compare biofilm formation on those brackets vs. uncoated brackets. After this time, a significant reduction in biofilm formation was found in coated brackets.…”

Biofilm formation on polytetrafluoroethylene coated versus uncoated brackets in a South Indian population

“…The analysis included a total surface area of 21.7 ± 0.7 mm 2 per bracket. The biofilm formation was noticed in 4.0 ± 3.6 % (0.9 ± 0.8 mm 2 ) of the bracket surface in case of PTFEcoated brackets versus 22.2 ± 5.4 per cent (4.8 ± 1.2 mm 2 ) on uncoated brackets (Table 1). Moreover, in case of PTFEcoated brackets highest amount of biofilm formation was evident in 'mesial surfaces' (6.58 ± 4.4 per cent) and the lowest on the occlusal surfaces (1.29 ± 1.2 per cent) ( Figure 1 and Figure 2).…”

“…The major limitations of fixed orthodontic therapy are the huge plaque-retetaining areas and difficult to remove mechanically after bonding the brackets to teeth. [1,2] In general, the influence of the bracket material is known to enhance intraoral biofilm accumulation and their surface properties. [3] The common measures to overcome these limitations are frequent scaling, application of fluorides topically, prescription of antimicrobial rinses, and the usage of antibacterial monomer-containing adhesive.…”

“…Patients selected for this study were instructed to maintain good oral hygeine practice. The methodology of this study was similar to the previous study conducted in Europe [2] and aimed at comparing the resistance for biofilm formation on PTFE coated dental bracket that are bonded to premolar, with the pattern of biofilm formation on uncoated dental brackets.…”