A Comparison of Lactobacillus acidophilus Adhesion to Metal and Ceramic Brackets with Coated and Uncoated Nickel Titanium Orthodontic Archwires: An In Vitro Study.

Background and objective: According to microbiological investigations, microorganisms, especially Lactobacillus strains, considerably increase after using fixed orthodontic appliances. One of the Lactobacilli bacteria found in the oral cavity is Lactobacillus acidophilus. The purpose of this study was to compare the adhesion of Lactobacillus acidophilus to metal and ceramic brackets with coated and uncoated nickel titanium (NiTi) orthodontic archwires.

Methods: Forty () samples were divided into four groups for this in vitro study: 10 metal brackets with coated NiTi archwire, 10 metal brackets with uncoated NiTi archwire, 10 ceramic brackets with coated NiTi archwire, and 10 ceramic brackets with uncoated NiTi archwire. Elisa Reader was used to count the number of Lactobacillus acidophilus attachments, and the one-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD tests were used to analyze all results.

Results: The results showed significant differences in the attachment of Lactobacillus Acidophilus between the ceramic bracket and coated NiTi archwire sample groups and the metal bracket and uncoated NiTi archwire sample groups (P= 0.01). The adherence of Lactobacillus acidophilus to the ceramic bracket and uncoated NiTi archwire group was higher than the metal bracket and coated NiTi archwire group, and the metal bracket and uncoated NiTi archwire group. The attachment of Lactobacillus acidophilus to the metal bracket and uncoated NiTi archwire groups was the lowest of all sample groups in this study.

Conclusion: The highest Lactobacillus acidophilus adherence was in the ceramic bracket with coated NiTi archwire group compared to the other three groups.