ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to compare the adaptation of a straight wire between brackets positioned at the mid-lingual surface and those placed gingivally by using a three-dimensional simulation software. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed using OrthoAid, an in-house software. The subjects were 36 adolescents with normal Class I occlusion. For each dental cast, two bracket positioning approaches, namely the middle and gingival, were examined. In the middle group, the reference points were placed on the mid-lingual surface of each tooth, while in the gingival group, the reference points were positioned lingually on the anterior teeth. A 4th degree polynomial was adopted, and the in-plane and off-plane root mean squares (RMSs) of the distances between the reference points and the fitted polynomial curve were calculated using the software. Statistical analysis was performed using the paired-samples t-test (α = 0.05). RESULTS: The mean in-plane RMS of the polynomial curve to the bracket distance in the gingival group was significantly lower than that in the middle group (p < 0.001). The off-plane RMS was higher in the gingivally positioned brackets in the maxilla than in the middle group (p < 0.001). However, the off-plane RMS in mandible was not statistically significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.274). CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that the gingival placement of lingual brackets on the anterior teeth could decrease the distance between a tooth and the straight wire.