Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2024 Dec;74(6):1371-1377.
doi: 10.1016/j.identj.2024.04.023. Epub 2024 May 13.

Metallic vs Ceramic Bracket Failures After 12 Months of Treatment: A Prospective Clinical Trial

Andrea Scribante  1 , Maurizio Pascadopoli  2 , Paola Gandini  3 , Riccardo Mangia  3 , Costanza Spina  3 , Maria Francesca Sfondrini  3
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Metallic vs Ceramic Bracket Failures After 12 Months of Treatment: A Prospective Clinical Trial

Andrea Scribante et al. Int Dent J. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Introduction: Orthodontic treatment with fixed vestibular appliances is still widely used worldwide. When choosing the aesthetic alternative of ceramic brackets, the possibility of failure and cracking of braces should be considered. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the failure rates of ceramic and metal brackets in a 12-month clinical study.

Methods: Eighty patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment with vestibular appliances were enrolled and divided into 2 equal groups: MET for metal brackets and CER for ceramic brackets. After bonding, bracket failures were recorded for 12 months, along with the archwire placed at the time of failure. Angle's dental class, skeletal class, Wits appraisal, Little's irregularity index, overjet, overbite, age, and gender of the patients were recorded from pretreatment cephalometric tracings and study casts. The data were statistically analysed (P < .05).

Results: Significantly higher failure rates were found for ceramic brackets in the overall analysis, in the mandibular arch, and in the posterior region. Regression analysis revealed a significant influence of round nickel-titanium archwires on higher failure rates, whilst a significant influence of rectangular archwires was found on lower failure rates.

Conclusions: Ceramic brackets showed higher failure rates. Patients should be aware that orthodontic treatment with ceramic brackets may involve delays and inconvenience due to the higher failure rate compared to metal brackets.

Keywords: Ceramic brackets; Clinical trial; Failure rate; Fixed appliance; Metallic brackets; Orthodontic treatment; Survival analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
CONSORT flowchart of the study showing the phases of enrolment and analysis.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Kaplan–Meier survival curves for the 12 months of treatment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Keim RG, Vogels III DS, Vogels PB. 2020 JCO study of orthodontic diagnosis and treatment procedures part 1: results and trends. J Clin Orthod. 2020;54(10):581–610. - PubMed
    1. Jeremiah HG, Bister D, Newton JT. Social perceptions of adults wearing orthodontic appliances: a cross-sectional study. Eur J Orthod. 2011;33:476–482. - PubMed
    1. Metin-Gürsoy G, Haciomeroglu AB, Kale-Varlık S, Tortop T. Evaluation of the relationship between anxiety levels and dental appearance. J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2023;47:40–45. - PubMed
    1. Ziuchkovski JP, Fields HW, Johnston WM, Lindsey DT. Assessment of perceived orthodontic appliance attractiveness. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2008;133(4 Suppl):S68–S78. - PubMed
    1. Barbosa IV, Ladewig VM, Almeida-Pedrin RR, Cardoso MA, Santiago Junior JF, Conti ACCF. The association between patient's compliance and age with the bonding failure of orthodontic brackets: a cross-sectional study. Prog Orthod. 2018;19:11. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources