Tensile strength of orthodontic elastomeric ligatures – in vitro

Abstract

One hundred elastomeric ligatures from one manufacturer were chosen for this study: 10 ligatures were tested at room temperature; the other 90 ligatures were divided into three equal groups and were stretched over stainless steel dowels. Group 1 samples were kept in artificial saliva. Group 2 samples were rinsed twice a day with 15 ml of Orthokin®, each time for 1 minute, and the Group 3 samples were rinsed twice a day with 15 ml of Oral B®, each time for 30 seconds, both samples being immersed in another artificial saliva prior to being put back in the test tubes. Each time, 10 of the samples were tested for their tensile strength at different intervals of 1, 7 and 28 days until they ruptured. One-way and two-way ANOVA and Tukey test were used for evaluation. Clinical Relevance: The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro effects of Orthokin®, Oral-B®, and artificial saliva on tensile bond strength of elastomeric ligatures.