Bisphenol A release in the saliva of children with Haas expanders.

Objective: Several studies have highlighted the toxic potential of bisphenol A (BPA), however, BPA release from orthopedic devices remains poorly investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate BPA levels in the saliva of children treated using Haas expanders.

Methods: Twenty-two children of both sexes aged 6-10 years who required rapid maxillary expansion were recruited. One week after placement of elastics to separate the permanent molars, orthodontic bands were adapted, and maxillary impressions were obtained using alginate impression material. Haas expanders were fabricated using a standardized amount of acrylic resin. The bands were cemented using Transbond Plus Light Cure Band (3M). Saliva samples were collected at five time points: before (T0) and 30 minutes (T1), 24 hours (T2), 1 week (T3), and 1 month (T4) after Haas expander installation. BPA levels were measured using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Tandem Mass Spectrometry. The results were evaluated using one-way analysis of variance with Tukey's post-hoc test (alpha = 5%).

Results: BPA levels were below the recommended tolerable daily intake (TDI) at all timepoints; however, salivary BPA levels at T1 (70.324 ng/mL ± 37.05) and at T2 (18.015 ng/mL ± 11.22) were significantly higher compared to that at T0 (0.475 ng/mL ± 0.27) (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Salivary BPA levels significantly increased 30 minutes and 24 hours after Haas expander installation and return to baseline values after 1 week. BPA levels did not exceed the TDI, suggesting that the use of Haas expanders may be considered safe concerning BPA exposure in children.