The use of self-ligating appliances in the daily routine of the office - systematic literature review

Abstract

The search for faster and more efficient orthodontic treatments keeps increasing, as a result, self-ligating brackets have been often discussed in literature, which analyze its advantages over the conventional systems. Most of the studies have discussed about treatment time; chair time; pain; discomfort; oral hygiene; periodontics and the most discussed is the friction between the arch and the bracket slot, as well as and the friction among the sliding mechanisms which are pointed out as the most efficient mechanisms during treatment because the self-ligating treatment offers the orthodontist and his patients an outstanding treatment with quicker appointments, less in-clinic time once it doesn’t require elastic or metallic ligature in order to attach the string to the bracket slots. The scientific knowledge about the characteristics and efficiency of this appliances to decide which is the best choice to use in the daily clinic routine, the self-ligating brackets together with the strings even help with the biomechanics of the orthodontic movement due to its capacity to expand and promote progressive leveling when compared to other conventional bracket treatments, and there are also theories that claim the pain feelings after the appointments is less common. As to periodontics and hygiene health, the self-ligating braces has and overall advantage, in general the orthodontic brackets make it harder to clean the teeth, the gums, the tongue and the lips create plates retention areas. In order to carry out a literature revision a search was made on the following databases: PubMed, LILACS and SciELO with words of reference such as self-ligating brackets combined with hygiene, friction, torque, radicular reabsorption, pain, discomfort, treatment time, periodontal health. Selecting the articles comparing self-ligating brackets and conventional ones which displayed the whole text for free.