Stability of transverse dental arch dimension with passive self-ligating brackets: a 6-year follow-up study

Abstract

Objective The stability of the transverse expansion in passive self-ligating bracket treatments is a debated topic in orthodontics. However, to date, only 3 reports are available in the literature, with the maximum follow-up of 3 years after the end of therapy. The present study aims to evaluate the stability of orthodontic treatment with self-ligating brackets in a 6-year follow-up period of time. Materials and methods A sample of 56 non-extractive cases (of whom 33 females, mean age 16.9, SD = 9.0 years) consecutively treated with Damon® system was retrospectively selected. All patients received fixed retainers from canine to canine in both arches at the end of treatment, and no removable retainers were provided. The mean values of the transverse intercusp, transverse centroid and transverse lingual distances were evaluated for all teeth from canines to second molars in both arches. Each measure was calculated at four timepoints: before treatment (T0), at the end of treatment (T1), one year after treatment (T2) and six years after treatment (T3). Transverse diameters were measured for all teeth, starting from the canines to the second molars, for a total of 1680 observations, and subsequently compared in order to evaluate intra-treatment and post-treatment modifications. Results There were increases in all transverse dental measurements during active treatment. A statistically significant (p < .05) reduction of the transverse diameter was found, for upper and lower premolars, from T1 to T3. Conclusion The 6-year follow-up analysis detected that the initial transverse expansion showed a statistically significant relapse in premolars. No relapse was detected at the level of canines, due to the presence of fixed retainers, and minimal at first molars.

Passive Self-Ligating Bracket Systems: A Scoping Review of Their Claims Regarding Efficiency and Effectiveness in Orthodontic Treatment

“…Lucchese et al (2019) [75] reported significant increases in transverse arch dimensions and torque values following passive self-ligating fixed therapy, with a tendency towards transverse diameter restriction in the maxillary and mandibular premolars in the first 2 years after treatment, while torque values remained mostly unchanged. Lastly, a 6-year follow-up study by Willeit et al (2022) [11] found that PSLB treatment resulted in significant increases in intermolar and intercanine width, with no significant relapse in expansion achieved with the therapy, except for upper and lower premolars. The study also observed that most of the relapse occurred in the first year after debonding and that the type of retainer could influence the amount and timing of relapse after PSLB treatment.…”

“…It has been stated that passive self-ligating brackets, especially the Damon system, offer several advantages over other types of bracket systems, such as faster alignment of teeth [4][5][6], greater efficiency in chairside time [6], less need for extraction [7], improved control of tooth position [3], reduced patient discomfort [7,8], decreased demand for anchorage devices [9], and limited use of intraoral expansion appliances [3,7,8]. PSLB systems are also claimed to significantly increase the posterior region of the arches and improve the stability of the transverse dental arch dimension over time [10,11]. Additionally, some studies conclude that it promotes periodontal health and infection control due to the reduced need for elastic ties, plaque accumulation, and plaque clusters [12,13].…”

“…The effectiveness of smaller brackets may diminish when rotating larger teeth. Some studies question the effectiveness and efficiency of PSLB systems compared to other types of bracket systems in terms of alignment stage [14][15][16], space closure [15][16][17][18], patient comfort [19][20][21], arch development [14][15][16][20][21][22][23], stability of the results [11,24], periodontal health [25][26][27], and apical root resorption (APP) [3].…”

Correction to: Stability of transverse dental arch dimension with passive self-ligating brackets: a 6-year follow-up study

“…Following publication of the original article [ 1 ], the authors identified an error in the author name Giorgio Alfredo Spedicato. The given names were erroneously transposed.…”