Evaluation of Salivary Nickel, Chromium and Iron Ions in Patients Treated with Fixed Orthodontic Appliances in Vivo Study

Abstract

Background and objectives: Most fixed orthodontic appliances are made of stainless steel and Nickel-Titanium alloys, which can release metal ions into the oral cavity. The present study aimed to determine the release of Nickel, Chromium and Iron ions into saliva of patients treated with a fixed orthodontic appliance. Subjects and methods: Saliva samples from 18 patients (9 males and 9 females) between 15-25 years were taken at three different time points, group A: before placement of the appliance directly (baseline), group B: one month after appliance placement, Group C: four months after appliance placement. The fixed appliance consists of 20 stainless steel brackets, 4 buccal tubes, and superelastic Nickel-Titanium archwires. Level of ions in salivary samples was analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical EmissionSpectrometry. Ions recorded in parts per billion. Statistical analysis was performed by nonparametric tests (Friedman) and one way repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Level of Nickel, Chromium and Iron ions in saliva were highest in group B and lowest in group A. on a pairwise comparison between different groups, it was statistically significant for all groups (< 0.05) except for Iron levels between group A and group C which was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Nickel, Chromium and Iron levels in saliva were increased after the placement of fixed orthodontic appliance.