A prospective randomized controlled trial on the comparative clinical efficiency and hygiene of a ceramic inter locking retainer and a flexible spiral wire bonded retainer.

BACKGROUND: The lower canine to canine retainer is one of the most commonly used retention appliance. OBJECTIVE: Compare and assess the clinical efficiency and oral hygiene maintenance with 2 retainers: flexible spiral wire and ceramic interlocking bonded. SETTING AND SAMPLE POPULATION: Orthodontic department of a dental college. PARTICIPANTS, STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Prospective randomized controlled trial that involved 40 patients who had completed orthodontic treatment and were randomly allotted to either group: flexible spiral wire (FSW) or ceramic interlocking retainers. Allocation ratio was 1:1. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Completed fixed orthodontic treatment with an acceptable treatment result. MAIN OUTCOMES: Oral hygiene was assessed at 3 (T1) and 6 (T2) months intervals after debonding using Gingival and Plaque index. The contact point displacement was assessed using 3D model superimposition and bonded retainer failure was noted. RANDOMIZATION AND BLINDING: Computer-generated random allocation, only data analyzer was blinded. STATISTICS: Data normality was tested using the Shapiro-Wilk and Q-Q plot. Mixed model analysis was used to assess differences between the two groups for the above-mentioned parameters. The failure rate of the retainer was calculated by the Chi-Square test. RESULTS: Only the plaque index score was significantly greater in the FSW group and showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05), rest of the parameters showed no statistically significant difference over the specified time points, although a mild increase in relapse was noted in both groups No serious harms were reported. CONCLUSION: Both retainers seem to be effective in maintaining the treatment results however the FSW seems to accumulate more plaque over a given period of time thereby mandating proper hygiene maintenance and follow-up.

Alexithymia Predicts Cognitive Deficits In Patients With Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Most of the orthodontic cases require a long period of retention which is usually carried out with the help of fixed retainers (FR). One of the downsides of FR is that these are prone to breakages. The aim of the present study was to identify the frequency and factors associated with failure of fixed spiral wire retainers.. METHODS: A retrospective crosssectional study was conducted using orthodontic files and dental casts of 126 patients from dental clinics of a tertiary care hospital. Descriptive statistics were applied to calculate the frequency and most common site of breakages. Chi-square test was applied to compare the frequency of breakages among age groups and different retainer spans. Independent sample ttest was used to compare the mean overbite in retainer breakage and retainer intact groups. A p-value ≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The frequency of retainer breakage was found to be 53.1%. Maxillary retainer breakages were found in 41.3% subjects whereas mandibular retainer failed in 22.2% subjects. The mean survival time of retainer was 8.91±4.57 months. The detachment of the retainer from the tooth surface was the most common occurrence (86%). The most common site of retainer breakage was maxillary canine (32.5%) and mandibular central incisor (12.7%). All the subjects who had retainers extending till maxillary molars encountered breakages.. CONCLUSIONS: A longer retainer span is associated with a greater risk of breakage. Failure rate in the maxillary arch was higher than the mandibular arch. The most common sites were the maxillary canine and mandibular central incisor. The most common pattern was wire detachment.