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. 2024 Jun 24;12(7):193.
doi: 10.3390/dj12070193.

Use of Electropolishing in Orthodontic Appliances: An Option to Reduce the Risk of Metal Hypersensitivity

Edith Lara-Carrillo  1 , Ulises Velázquez-Enríquez  1 , Brenda Andrea Ramírez-García  2 , María Fernanda Lara-Fonseca  2 , Raúl A Morales-Luckie  3 , Ana Miriam Santillán-Reyes  2 , Victor Hugo Toral-Rizo  1 , Elias Nahúm Salmerón-Valdés  2 , Adriana Alejandra Morales-Valenzuela  2
Affiliations

Use of Electropolishing in Orthodontic Appliances: An Option to Reduce the Risk of Metal Hypersensitivity

Edith Lara-Carrillo et al. Dent J (Basel). .

Abstract

Electropolishing is a common treatment in the industry; however, how it behaves in the mouth and what benefits it can bring over metal dental attachments have not yet been established. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the levels of corrosion, the released metal ions, and the changes in structural composition in metallic orthodontic appliances following electropolishing treatment. This study included 56 orthodontic brackets and 28 archwires. The samples were subjected to a pH cycle to simulate an oral environment. Using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, the release of metallic particles was evaluated, and using scanning electron microscopy, the structural and composition changes were evaluated. Groups were compared using Student's t-tests with a value of p ≤ 0.05. The cyclical pH solutions showed variations between groups and days (1, 3, 5, 7 and 15), reaching the highest acidification in the self-ligating brackets; the absorbance between solutions did not differ significantly. As seen from the SEM results, the experimental group showed minor irregularities compared with the control groups. The experimental brackets decreased in iron and increased in chromium after electropolishing, while for the NiTi archwires, they decreased in nickel. Therefore, electropolishing treatments in metallic orthodontic attachments improve their surface structure and corrosion resistance could reduce the risk of metal hypersensitivity, mainly from nickel.

Keywords: electropolishing; hypersensitivity; metals; nickel; orthodontics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of the study groups.
Figure 2
Figure 2
pH measurements of remineralizing (pH = 7.0) and demineralizing (pH = 4.40) solutions in bracket groups.
Figure 3
Figure 3
pH measurement of remineralizing (pH = 7.0) and demineralizing (pH = 4.40) solutions in NiTi archwire groups.
Figure 4
Figure 4
pH measurement of remineralizing (pH = 7.0) and demineralizing (pH = 4.40) solutions in SS archwire groups.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Absorbance between the remineralizing and demineralizing solutions in bracket groups (from 190 to 370 nm).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Absorbance between the remineralizing and demineralizing solutions in NiTi archwire groups (from 190 to 370 nm).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Absorbance between the remineralizing and demineralizing solutions in SS archwire groups (from 190 to 370 nm).
Figure 8
Figure 8
(A) Bracket from GA with a magnification of ×1500; (B) bracket from GC with a magnification of ×1200; (C) bracket from GB with a magnification of ×800; and (D) bracket from GD with a magnification of ×2000.
Figure 9
Figure 9
(A) Archwire from GE at ×1500 magnification; (B) archwire from GI with ×1000 magnification; (C) archwire from GF at ×350 magnification; and (D) archwire from GJ at ×500 magnification.
Figure 10
Figure 10
(A) Archwire from GG at ×1000 magnification; (B) archwire from GK at ×1500 magnification; (C) archwire from GH at ×1500 magnification; and (D) archwire from GL at ×2000 magnification.
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