Extrait

Background and study aims Orthodontic treatment is used to improve the appearance, position and function of crooked or abnormally arranged teeth. Fixed braces are made up of brackets that are glued to each tooth and linked with wires. Various techniques can be used to remove the residual glue after the brackets are removed. The current gold standard technique is to use a tungsten carbide bur (drill). Air abrasion is a drill-less technique that can be used to remove the residual glue with less damage to the tooth enamel. It works like a sandblaster removing graffiti from walls. It involves blowing a powerful air stream of tiny particles (e.g., bio-active glass or alumina) out of its tip onto the tooth. The tiny particles bounce off the tooth and blast the glue away. This study aims to compare bio-active glass air-abrasion with the gold standard technique of TC burs for removing residual glue from teeth. Who can participate? Patients aged 12-55 who are about to undergo orthodontic treatment with a fixed appliance. What does the study involve? Participants have initial moulds of their three front teeth taken. They are then treated as usual with fixed orthodontic braces. The brackets are removed in the conventional way using orthodontic pliers. These gently dislodge the brackets from the tooth surfaces, leaving behind some of the glue. The surface roughness of the teeth is recorded by taking moulds of the three front teeth. One tooth is randomly selected to have the residual glue removed in the conventional manner using a slow-speed rotary TC bur. Another tooth has the glue removed using bio-active glass air-abrasion. Finally, the third tooth is treated with alumina air-abrasion. Subsequently, two moulds of the teeth are taken. The first one is discarded due to debris contamination from the procedure. The second is used to assess the final surface roughness. Close-up digital photographs of these three teeth are taken before and after glue removal. Glue from the remaining teeth is removed in the conventional way using the TC bur. The extra clinical work carried out adds 10-15 minutes to the overall appointment time with no other interventions required. Dental stone replicas produced from the moulds are scanned using a laser to assess precisely how much material is removed by each technique. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Bio-active glass air-abrasion is already used in dentistry for cleaning and treating painful teeth. This technique may cause less damage to teeth than the conventional procedure. This study will help develop this treatment technique. Potential risks include microscopic damage to the enamel of the teeth under investigation. Where is the study run from? Guy's Hospital (UK) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? February 2013 to September 2014 Who is funding the study? King's College (UK) Who is the main contact? Dr Victoria Klimovich

Critère d'inclusion

• Orthodontics

Liens

• isrctn
• ictrp