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
Comparative Study
. 2025 Mar 24;30(1):e2524221.
doi: 10.1590/2177-6709.30.1.e2524221.oar. eCollection 2025.

Extra-alveolar miniscrews: are all brands similar?

Karina Tostes Borsato  1 , Raissa Mariele Bernardino  1 , Lucas Arrais Campos  2 , Daniela Águida Bento  3 , Luiz Geraldo Vaz  1 , Luiz Gonzaga Gandini Júnior  3
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Extra-alveolar miniscrews: are all brands similar?

Karina Tostes Borsato et al. Dental Press J Orthod. .

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Introduction: A wide variety of extra-alveolar orthodontic miniscrews are available.

Objective: This study aims to describe and compare the design, and the topographical and mechanical properties of five distinct commercial brands of extra-alveolar miniscrews.

Methods: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), using 25×, 50×, 100×, and 200× photomicrographs, and in-vitro mechanical tests (driving torque, torsion, and pullout test) to compare extra-alveolar miniscrews (n=80, 2 mm x 12 mm) from the following brands: Bioray, DatSteel, Morelli, OBS, and Peclab.

Results: Despite the 2 × 12 mm screw size, only the Morelli and Peclab miniscrews actually measured 12 mm in thread length. The studied brands revealed different thread characteristics (i.e., thread pitch and minor/major diameter). The Morelli miniscrews presented the smallest thread pitch and, consequently, the largest number of threads. Bioray, DatSteel, and OBS miniscrews presented a trapezoidal thread shape, while the others were triangular. SEM showed adequate polishing on the Morelli, OBS, and Peclab miniscrews. The insertion torque was higher than the removal torque for the DatSteel, Morelli, and OBS miniscrews during the driving torque test of the first four threads. The same result occurred with Morelli miniscrews during the driving torque test of the full screw. The resistance limits recorded in the pullout tests were significantly higher than the maximum force used in orthodontic tooth movement. The findings showed no significant differences between the results of the titanium and steel miniscrews.

Conclusions: The five types of miniscrews studied presented different characteristics, so the clinician must consider the correct size, number of threads, length, polishing surface, and metallic alloy when choosing the appropriate miniscrew for an application.

Introdução:: Existe uma grande variedade de miniparafusos extra-alveolares disponíveis.

Objetivo:: Este estudo descreve e compara o design, as características topográficas e propriedades mecânicas de cinco diferentes marcas comerciais de miniparafusos extra-alveolares.

Métodos:: Microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), utilizando fotomicrografias de 25x, 50x, 100x e 200x e ensaios mecânicos in vitro (torque de inserção e remoção, torção e arrancamento) compararam miniparafusos extra-alveolares (n=80; 2 mm x 12 mm) das seguintes marcas: Bioray, DatSteel, Morelii, OBS e Peclab.

Resultados:: Somente as marcas Morelli e Peclab possuem 12mm de comprimento de roscas. Todas as marcas estudadas apresentaram designs de rosca diferentes (passo de rosca, diâmetro menor e diâmetro maior). Morelli apresentou a maior quantidade de filetes de rosca, devido ao menor passo. Bioray, Datsteel e OBS têm filete de rosca em formato trapezoidal; e as demais, em formato triangular. MEV mostrou o polimento adequado nas marcas Morelli, OBS e Peclab. O torque de inserção foi maior que o torque de remoção nas marcas DatSteel, Morelli e OBS durante a inserção e remoção das quatro primeiras roscas. O mesmo resultado foi obtido para Morelli na inserção e remoção completa do parafuso. Os limites de resistência registrados nos ensaios de arrancamento foram significativamente maiores que a força máxima utilizada na movimentação dentária ortodôntica. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os miniparafusos constituídos de titânio e aço.

Conclusão:: Os miniparafusos estudados possuem características distintas; portanto, o profissional deve estar atento às suas necessidades clínicas para escolher o dispositivo, considerando o tamanho correto, número de roscas, comprimento, superfície de polimento e liga metálica.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:. Extra alveolar miniscrews A) Bioray, B) DatSteel, C) Morelli, D) OBS, E) Peclab.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:. Bioray miniscrews photomicrographs with 25× (A-D), 50× (E-H), 100× (I-L), and 200× (M-P) magnification; head, transmucosal, thread, and active tip images.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:. DatSteel miniscrews photomicrographs with 25× (A-D), 50×(E-H), 100× (I-L), and 200× (M-P) magnification; head, transmucosal, thread, and active tip images.
Figure 4:
Figure 4:. Morelli miniscrews photomicrographs with 25x (A-D), 50x,(E-H) 100x (I-L), and 200× (M-P) magnification; head, transmucosal, thread, and active tip images.
Figure 5:
Figure 5:. OBS miniscrews photomicrographs with 25x (A-D), 50x(E-H), 100x (I-L), and 200× (M-P) magnification; head, transmucosal, thread, and active tip images.
Figure 6:
Figure 6:. Peclab miniscrews photomicrographs with 25x (A-D), 50x(E-H), 100x (I-L) , and 200× (M-P) magnification; head, transmucosal, thread, and active tip images.
Figure 7:
Figure 7:. Graphs representing the semi-quantitative chemical analysis of the miniscrews: A) Bioray, B) DatSteel, C) Morelli, D) OBS, E) Peclab).
Figure 8:
Figure 8:. Specimens after the maximum torque test and their respective curves Torque (Nm) X Angle (degrees): A) Bioray, B) DatSteel, C) Morelli, D) OBS, E) Peclab.
Figure 9:
Figure 9:. Miniscrew segments SEM after the maximum torque test, in 45x and 1000x: A) Bioray, B)DatSteel, C) Morelli, D) OBS, E)Peclab).
Figure 10:
Figure 10:. Miniscrews after the static pullout test, and their respective Force (N) x Displacement (mm) curves: A) Bioray, B)DatSteel, C)Morelli, D) OBS, E)Peclab).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Almeida MR. Biomechanics of extra-alveolar mini-implants. Dental Press J Orthod. 2019;24(4):93–109. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chen G, Teng F, Xu TM. Distalization of the maxillary and mandibular dentitions with miniscrew anchorage in a patient with moderate Class I bimaxillary dentoalveolar protrusion. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2016;149(3):401–410. - PubMed
    1. Gainsforth BL, Higley L. A study of orthodontic anchorage possibilities in basal bone. Am J Orthod Oral Surg. 1945;31(8):406–417.
    1. Melsen B. Mini-implants Where are we? J Clin Orthod. 2005;39(9):539–547. - PubMed
    1. Chang CH, Lin JS, Roberts WE. Failure rates for stainless steel versus titanium alloy infrazygomatic crest bone screws a single-center, randomized double-blind clinical trial. Angle Orthod. 2019;89(1):40–46. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources