Allergies Induced by Orthodontic Alloys: Incidence and Impact on Treatment

Abstract

Skin changes occurring in the course of orthodontic treatment should be examined and verified if necessary by a dermatologist. Gold plating and other coatings (titanium nitride) of the metal elements even encourage corrosion after a brief protection period. Soldering should be avoided.

Face and Neck Dermatitis from a Stainless Steel Orthodontic Appliance

“…2,4,8 The clinically common precaution of testing the sensitivity of the patient before providing actual treatment by fixing a few bands/brackets on the teeth for a period of time 8 was not effective enough to elicit a hypersensitivity reaction to the appliance material in our patient. Possible explanations could be the considerably smaller total amount of metal in the test compared with that in the real appliance, the relatively short exposure time, and the absence of mechanical irritation from smooth bands.…”

“…14,15 Yet, although most nickel-allergic patients can be treated without discomfort, individual variation exists, and orthodontic treatment occasionally may even aggravate the existing allergy, as may have happened in our patient. 4,8,15,16 Hence, all reactions of potentially allergic origin should be sought carefully and diagnosed with patch testing, and their impact on the treatment plan should be evaluated accordingly.…”

“…1 Potential induction of nickel sensitization and elicitation of an allergic reaction by nickel leaching from the orthodontic appliances have been matters of general concern and the topic of several studies. [2][3][4] Of all skin sensitizers, nickel is considered the number one cause of contact allergy, especially in women in industrialized countries. According to patch test-verified data, this condition affects approximately 10% to 30% of females and 1% to 3% of males, depending on age and population groups.…”

“…[5][6][7] Given the high prevalence of nickel allergy, visible adverse reactions to metallic orthodontic appliances are detected surpris- ingly infrequently (in 0.2% to 0.4% of patients), and studies have shown that most patients who are known to be nickel sensitive can be treated with nickel-containing orthodontic appliances without hypersensitivity reactions. 2,4,8 Evidence shows that the elicitation threshold of a nickel-allergic reaction varies among individuals and individually over time. [9][10][11] Elicitation of this reaction depends on the conditions under which nickel exposure occurs and is affected by such factors as hapten concentration on the contact area, open or occluded exposure, the presence of an irritant, and individual degree of contact allergy.…”

Corrosion Damage Investigation of Silver-Soldered Stainless Steel Orthodontic Appliances Used in Vivo / Ocena Zniszczeń Korozyjnych Używanych In Vivo Stałych Aparatów Ortodontycznych O Połączeniach Lutowanych Na Bazie Srebra

“…Corrosion resistance of orthodontic alloys is an important factor for technicians and orthodontists to consider when choosing the proper material for a planned application. Even though the effects of oral corrosion are often imperceptible [12][13], mainly because the allowed dietary intake is not exceeded [3,14], the presence of an excessive amount of metallic ions in the oral environment may cause some acute conditions [1,12], including severe adverse reactions to orthodontic alloys [15]. According to Wataha [15], documented allergies have been reported not only for nickel, cobalt or chromium, but also for mercury, copper, gold, palladium, tin, and zinc.…”