Effects of Bicuspid Extraction Treatments on the Morphology and Property of Orthodontic Brackets

This study observed the effects of an orthodontic bicuspid extraction treatment on the morphologies and property of the 3M Victory® and the DaeSeung Archist® stainless steel brackets adjacent to the extraction space. The slot surfaces of the bracket were scanned in air by atomic force microscopy. The visco-elasticity of bracket slot was determined from the force distance curves of atomic force microscopy. The orthodontic treatment with bicuspid extraction led to a significant increase (p <; 0.0001) in surface roughness in both groups. In particular, the Archist® stainless steel brackets showed more changes than the Victory® stainless steel brackets, p <; 0.0005. However, there was no significant difference in properties of the Victory® and Archist® brackets between before and after treatment. This suggests that the bicuspid extraction treatment is more associated with the changes in surface roughness than the properties of the brackets. 3M Victory® is more favorable than DaeSeung Archist® stainless steel brackets because it showed lower roughness changes compared to the Archist® bracket.