Experimental Research on Friction between Domestic Brackets and Archwires / 中国医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the friction between brackets and archwires and the influential factors. Methods To test the friction of six combinations of canine bracket and stainless steel archwire, and to calculate the critical contact angles for each combination. Results The friction maintains stability with slight changes when the contact angle is smaller than the critical contact angle. The friction increases linearly when the contact angle is larger than the critical contact angle. The friction of different combinations of bracket-archwire are different and the critical contact angles are also different. Conclusion The critical contact angle influences the friction between bracket and archwire significantly. The critical contact angle is relevant to both the structure of the bracket and the size of the archwire.