The Effect of Mouthwashes on the Corrosion Resistance of Stainless Steel Wire

Background : Stainless steel wires are widely used in fixed orthodontic appliance. In order to have good oral cleaning, an optimum orthodontic force, and desirable biological response and tooth movement, the current study was hence carried out to investigate the impact of Chlorhexidine and Listerine on the surface characteristics of stainless steel wire. Materials and methods : The effect of chemicals was studied through immersing the wires in the solutions for 1.5 hour. The distilled water was considered as control. The samples consisted of 10 wire pieces in the form of U shape with dimensions of (25mm length of bridge,10mm length of arms). Such wires were cut and their straight form were used for corrosion test. Wires were then embedded in base of cold cure acrylic resin ( 3mm thickness,10mm width,65mm length). Next, The wires were connected to conductor rod. A potention state equipment was utilized for testing the samples and a Nikon digital optical microscope was used to identify the surface changes. ANOVA and LSD tests were utilized for statistical analysis. Results : the results indicated that the Listerine group presented the highest mean of corrosion resistance; on the other hand, chlorhexidine group created a greater value of mean in comparison to control group. Furthermore, highly significant differences were observed between two groups (P<0.01). Moreover, there were significant differences among all groups (P<0.01). Conclusion : The Listerine has a significant effect on the surface corrosion of stainless steel wire compared to chlorhexidine. The optical microscope found that there was an increase in presence of pit and scratched areas with Listerine compared with Chlorhexidine.