Evaluation of Frictional Resistance in Different Bracket Systems with Different Orthodontic Archwires: An In Vitro Study.

Aim: This study evaluated the static frictional resistance of different self-ligating brackets (SLBs) and a conventional stainless steel (SS) bracket with two different archwire alloys during sliding mechanics.

Materials and methods: A total of 96 maxillary canine brackets were divided into four groups (24 Mini Diamond^TM conventional SS brackets, 24 Damon^TM Q2 metal passive SLBs, 24 Empower^TM 2 metal active SLBs, and 24 Damon^TM Clear 2 ceramic passive SLBs). These were tested with SS and titanium-molybdenum alloy (TMA) archwires, each measuring 0.019 × 0.025 in. The frictional resistances were measured using a Universal Testing Machine as the brackets were drawn vertically along the straight segments of the archwire. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), a one-way ANOVA with a post-hoc Tukey test, and a Student t-test were used for statistical analysis.

Results: The lowest mean of static frictional resistance was observed in two passive bracket groups, followed by active group and conventional group. Significant differences were found between bracket groups with SS and TMA archwires (p < 0.001), except between two passive groups, where no significant differences were found (SS: p = 0.193, TMA: p = 0.415). Among the archwires, the TMA had significantly higher static frictional resistance than SS with Mini Diamond^TM (p < 0.001) and Empower^TM 2 (p < 0.001), while there were no significant differences in frictional resistance between the SS and TMA archwires with Damon^TM Q2 (p = 0.145) and Damon^TM Clear2 (p = 0.470).

Conclusion: The selection of bracket systems and wire material significantly influences the frictional resistances in sliding mechanics. When TMA archwires are used for sliding mechanics, passive appliances can minimize frictional resistances.

Clinical significance: The frictional resistances at the bracket-archwire-ligation connection significantly influence orthodontic tooth movement, which in turn affects treatment time. This study assesses the frictional resistances of different SLBs and conventional brackets with different archwires, which allows orthodontists to select the most effective bracket/archwire combination for minimizing frictional resistances. How to cite this article: Al-Dulaimi FK, Albelasy NF, Mohammad MH, et al. Evaluation of Frictional Resistance in Different Bracket Systems with Different Orthodontic Archwires: An In Vitro Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2025;26(2):137-143.