Tooth alignment and pain experience with A-NiTi versus Cu-NiTi: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Background Nickel-titanium (NiTi) archwires are routinely used for initial leveling and alignment of teeth in orthodontic treatment. This study aimed to clinically compare the level of pain and tooth alignment in orthodontic treatment with A-NiTi versus Cu-NiTi archwires. Methods In this parallel randomized clinical trial, 88 orthodontic patients (12–25 years) with an irregularity index > 2 mm in the anterior site of the lower dental arch who required non-extraction orthodontic treatment of the lower arch were randomized into two age- and sex-matched groups (n = 44) for treatment with A-NiTi and Cu-NiTi initial archwires. Each archwire was used for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, the irregularity index was measured, and the level of pain was scored using the Modified McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ) and visual analog scale (VAS) according to the time of onset and duration of pain, and analgesic intake. Data were analyzed by paired t test, independent samples t test, and Chi-square test (P < 0.05). Results The irregularity index significantly decreased in both groups after 6 weeks of treatment (P < 0.001). However, the difference in this respect was not significant between the two groups (P > 0.05). Pain perception (P = 0.487), duration of pain (P = 0.546), and analgesic intake (P = 0.102) were not significantly different between the two groups either. Conclusion Both A-NiTi and Cu-NiTi archwires are equally effective for tooth alignment in the anterior site of the lower dental arch and have no significant difference with regard to the level of pain experienced by patients. Trial registration number: IRCT20190705044102N1 and Name of the registry: Iranian registry of clinical trials (https://irct.ir/) Date of registration: September, 26, 2019

A pilot study analyzing the influence of the material and the size of the orthodontic archwire on the level of pain and anxiety in adult patients in treatment with brackets: A prospective triple-blind randomized clinical trial

“…analyzed the influence of orthodontic archwire material (NiTi versus Cu-NiTi) on pain in orthodontic patients. This author did not report any statistically significant differences in pain levels or duration between the two groups ( 10 ). In the case of our study, we only observed significant differences ( p < 0.05) when comparing NiTi and Cu-NiTi at the beginning of treatment (T01).…”

“…In recent years, new material compositions have been developed for use in orthodontic archwires, including copper–nickel–titanium (Cu-NiTi) wires. Various in vitro studies have been conducted to evaluate the performance of these new Cu-NiTi archwires ( 9 ); however, very few clinical studies have been published that address the possible influence of the orthodontic archwire material on pain levels ( 10 ).…”

Effectiveness of laser-engineered copper-nickel titanium versus superelastic nickel-titanium aligning archwires: A randomized clinical trial

“…The findings of this study add further scope to studies comparing different aligning archwires. In previous studies, SENT and Copper-NiTi were found to be equally effective for the alignment of lower anterior teeth, 11 HANT and SENT had similar performance in the alignment phase, 12 and 0.014-in SENT and 0.016-in HANT wires had no clinical difference in the amount of tooth alignment or perception of pain. 18 In contrast, a different study indicated that HANT wires were more effective than SENT wires in alleviating crowding.…”

“…9 Many clinical trials have studied archwire effectiveness. [10][11][12][13][14] Results have shown inconsistent findings in alignment effectiveness and controversial outcomes in pain perception. Root resorption did not differ significantly among groups; however, one study suggested monitoring with superelastic nickel-titanium (SENT) wires.…”

Alignment efficiency and three-dimensional assessment of root resorption after alignment with conventional and copper-nickel-titanium archwires: A randomized controlled trial

“…Displacement of contact point as described in the index was measured with the help of a digital caliper with a sharpened fine edge to the nearest 0.01 mm (Standard Digital Caliper Series: EC16) on the study models. 19 , 29 , 30 Alignment was considered complete when LII was near zero and 0.019×0.025-in stainless-steel working archwire was passive in the bracket slots (T5).…”