The duration of finishing and polishing of acrylic removable orthodontic appliances in the Dental Technology Study Program at Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia

Abstract

Objective: This study was intended to quantify the duration of finishing and polishing of removable orthodontic appliances by Dental Technology Study Program students. Material and Methods: This descriptive observational study employed total sampling. Fifteen of 6th semester students participated in the study, each of them producing three removable orthodontic appliances with the duration of finishing and polishing being recorded. Data was analyzed descriptively. Results: The duration of the finishing and polishing of orthodontic plates by Dental Technology Study Program students varied widely from 9 to 420 minutes with a mean of 71.20 minutes, both between individual students and between the first, second and third orthodontic plates. Conclusion: It is concluded that the duration of finishing and polishing in the fabrication of an orthodontic plate by the students was between 9 and 420 minutes. The duration varied depending on the design of the appliances, the skill of the students in processing or when performing the finishing and polishing.