The antibacterial effect of silver, zinc-oxide and combination of silver/ zinc oxide nanoparticles coating of orthodontic brackets (an in vitro study).

Background: Preventive measures are essential during the length of orthodontic treatment to reduce the risk of decalcification and white spot lesions formation. With the evolution of procedures that enable coating of the orthodontic brackets using nanoparticles known for their good antibacterial activity, coating the brackets with nanoparticles of silver, zinc oxide and combination of silver and zinc oxide to evaluate their antibacterial effect in comparison to a control group without coating was carried out in this study.

Methods: Four groups of 12 brackets each were included in the study.