Biomedical Research

Introduction: The aesthetics of orthodontic appliances represents one of the main concerns of patients receiving orthodontic treatment. A large number of orthodontic appliances have been composed of silver and have a metallic color. The aim of this study is to prepare esthetic orthodontic wires using silver electroplating. The color of the aesthetic wires was assessed using a devised colorimetric measurement method as described later.

Materials and Methods: A silver-plated wire that we have developed and six brands of esthetic arch wires were assessed. These wires were measured three times using a colorimeter color system 1. Lightness (L*), 2. Hue (a* • b*), 3. Chroma (C*), were evaluated. The colors of these wires need to be compared with the natural tooth color. VITA shade A1 (VA1) as evaluation criteria was measured.

Result: 1. In the L* value, the silver-plated wire was the closest to VA1 at 70.5 than (p<0.01). 2. Among the a* values, epoxy coating wire was the closest to VA1 at -1.3. 3. Among the b* and C* values, the silver-plated wire was the most approximate at 8.4 to VA1 (p<0.01).

Discussion: The silver-plated wire was closest to the natural tooth color, lightness, chroma, hue. In the future, we are working on development of a more aesthetic wire.

Author(s): Takashi Usui, Sinjiro Miyake, Toshio Iwata, Takero Otsuka, So Koizumi, Nobukazu Shirakawa, Toshitsugu Kawata
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