ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To compare the sliding resistance forces produced by polycarbonate self-ligating brackets with esthetic archwires. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples of Opal, Oyster and conventional Blonde brackets were tested each one with 30 segments of .018x.025-in wires. The archwires were slipped at 8mm/min for 40 seconds with an universal testing machine. Two way ANOVA with Bonferroni correction were used. RESULTS: Blonde brackets presented the highest sliding resistance, followed in decreasing order by Oyster and Opal. The TP Shiny Bright Wire produced the highest surface friction, while the lowest was observed for Imagination archwires (except for Opal brackets where the TP Pearltone Wire achieved the best performance). CONCLUSIONS: Self-ligating system is more effective to reduce the sliding force resistance than conventional brackets. Esthetic stainless steel archwires produce less friction resistance than those without surface treatment. Polycarbonate self-ligating brackets are more effective to reduce the frictional forces than esthetic archwires with surface treatment.
