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Objective This study was performed to investigate an appropriate degree of prestretch for orthodontic synthetic elastomeric chains focusing on time-dependent viscoelastic properties. Methods Orthodontic synthetic elastomeric chains of two brands were prestretched to 50, 100, 150, and 200% of the original length in one and three cycles, and the hysteresis areas of the obtained stress-strain curves were determined. Acrylic plates were employed to maintain constant strain during the experiment. A total of 180 samples were classified into nine groups according to brand, and their stresses and permanent deformations were measured immediately after prestretch (0 hour), after 1 hour and 24 hours, and after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 weeks. The relationship between stress relaxation and permanent deformation was investigated for various degrees of prestretch, and the estimated stress resulting from tooth movement was calculated. Results The degree of prestretch and the stress relaxation ratio exhibited a strong negative correlation, whereas no correlation was found between the degree of prestretch and the average normalized permanent strain. The maximal estimated stress was observed when prestretch was performed in three cycles to 200% of the original length. Conclusions Although prestretch benefited residual stress, it did not exhibit negative effects such as permanent deformation. The maximal estimated stress was observed at the maximal prestretch, but the difference between prestretch and control groups decreased with time. In general, higher residual stresses were observed for product B than for product A, but this difference was not clinically significant.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of commercially available fluoride-containing oral rinses on the corrosion behavior of titanium alloys, which are the main components of orthodontic miniscrews. METHODS Four commercially available oral rinses (solution A, pH 4.46/260 ppm fluoride; solution B, pH 4.41/178 ppm fluoride; solution C, pH 6.30/117 ppm fluoride; and solution D, pH 4.17/3.92 ppm fluoride) were tested on titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) circular plates, and saline was used as the control. The open-circuit potential and potentiodynamic polarization of these materials were measured. Thereafter, all samples were evaluated under a field-emission scanning electron microscope. RESULTS Among the tested oral rinses, except solution D, the more the fluoride content was, the greater was the corrosion potential downtrend; the corrosion resistance of the titanium alloy sample was also lowered significantly (p < 0.05). Field-emission scanning electron microscopic analysis of the surface morphology of the titanium alloy samples revealed that all samples had some defects, crevices, or pitting after exposure to the oral rinses than before treatment. In particular, the samples in solution A showed the most changes. CONCLUSIONS Commercially available oral rinses having a high fluoride concentration and a low pH may reduce the corrosion resistance of titanium alloys used in dental appliances such as orthodontic titanium miniscrews and brackets.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare recycled and unused orthodontic miniscrews to determine the feasibility of reuse. The comparisons included both miniscrews with machined surfaces (MS), and those with etched surfaces (ES). METHODS Retrieved MS and ES were further divided into three subgroups according to the assigned recycling procedure: group A, air-water spray; group B, mechanical cleaning; and group C, mechanical and chemical cleaning. Unused screws were used as controls. Scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, insertion time and maximum insertion torque measurements in artificial bone, and biological responses in the form of periotest values (PTV), bone-implant contact ratio (BIC), and bone volume ratio (BV) were assessed. RESULTS Morphological changes after recycling mainly occurred at the screw tip, and the cortical bone penetration success rate of recycled screws was lower than that of unused screws. Retrieved ES needed more thorough cleaning than retrieved MS to produce a surface composition similar to that of unused screws. There were no significant differences in PTV or BIC between recycled and unused screws, while the BV of the former was significantly lower than that of the latter (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that reuse of recycled orthodontic miniscrews may not be feasible from the biomechanical aspect.

Objective The aim of this systematic multiscale analysis was to evaluate the effects of thermoforming on the physical and mechanical properties of thermoplastic materials used to fabricate transparent orthodontic aligners (TOAs). Methods Specimens were fabricated using four types of thermoplastic materials with different thicknesses under a thermal vacuum. Transparency, water absorption and solubility, surface hardness, and the results of three-point bending and tensile tests were evaluated before and after thermoforming. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Student's t-test. Results After thermoforming, the transparency of Duran and Essix A+ decreased, while the water absorption ability of all materials; the water solubility of Duran, Essix A+, and Essix ACE; and the surface hardness of Duran and Essix A+ increased. The flexure modulus for the 0.5-mm-thick Duran, Essix A+, and eCligner specimens increased, whereas that for the 0.75-/1.0-mm-thick Duran and eClginer specimens decreased. In addition, the elastic modulus increased for the 0.5-mm-thick Essix A+ specimens and decreased for the 0.75-mm-thick Duran and Essix ACE and the 1.0-mm-thick Essix ACE specimens. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the physical and mechanical properties of thermoplastic materials used for the fabrication of TOAs should be evaluated after thermoforming in order to characterize their properties for clinical application.