Introduction: In Orthodontic patients, the orthodontic brackets and wires are exposed to the oral fluids for a considerable period of time. Patients use fluoridated mouthwashes to maintain oral hygiene and avoid white spot lesions on their teeth, which can cause release of nickel and chromium from the orthodontic brackets and thus may lead to allergic reactions and cytotoxicity. Aim: To evaluate the amount of nickel ion release from orthodontic brackets on exposure to different fluoride mouthwash. Materials and Methods: This in-vitro experimental study was conducted on seventy-five Orthodontic brackets which were divided into three groups of 25 each and immersed in artificial saliva (group A), Amflor mouthwash (group B) and Zero sense (group C) mouthwash respectively in separate beakers. The temperatures of the solutions in the beakers were maintained at 37 degrees to simulate oral temperatures. The 5 mL of the solutions were drawn from the three breakers at 1 hour, 6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours respectively and the Nickel ion release from each solution was measured using Optima 5300 Dual View (DV) Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with a post hoc test was performed for comparison between the groups and at different time intervals. Results: The highest mean value of nickel release was noted in group C (0.32±0.020156 μg/mL) at the 24 hrs peak time followed by group B (0.24±0.014338 μg/mL). Statistical analysis showed a significant difference between the two experimental groups at all time periods except 1 hour (p-value <0.05). Conclusion: The amount of nickel ion release did not exceed the permissible limit in any of the study groups. However, it can be inferred that Amflor mouthwash can be prefered over Zero sense mouthwash for Orthodontic patients considering the lower nickel ion release.

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Every face is unique and this variation also exists between genders. This forms the basis of sexual dimorphism. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between gender and soft tissue of face among the south Indian population. The study sample comprised 30 lateral cephalograms collected between the time period of June 2019 - March 2020, which were divided into 3 groups. FACAD software was used for the analysis of lateral cephalograms to obtain six variables, namely: glabella area (G-G1), subnasal area (A-Sn), Upper lip thickness (J-Ls), Lower lip thickness (I-Li), Labiomental sulcus thickness (B-Sm), Chin area (Pg-Pg1). The obtained results were tabulated and statistically analysed using SPSS software version 23. One-way ANOVA and post hoc tests were performed between the skeletal malocclusions. Independent t-test was done to compare the variables between the two genders. The obtained results show a mean increase in all the variables of Class II except Lower lip thickness, which was maximum in Class I skeletal malocclusion. The results of One-way ANOVA, however, was statistically insignificant.  Hence, soft tissue characteristics can provide vital information on sexual dimorphism and also aid in the diagnosis of various malocclusions in orthodontics.