A comparison of white spot lesion formation between a self-ligating bracket and a conventional preadjusted straight wire bracket.

Aim: Demineralization following removal of orthodontic appliances is a common problem. Presence of archwires, especially those with loops and different types of ligatures, complicate cleaning around bands and brackets during orthodontic treatment. These factors led clinicians to develop self-ligating brackets. The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of white spot lesion formation with the use of a self-ligating bracket with conventional preadjusted straight wire brackets.

Methods: Twenty patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. In the first group (aged 13.4 ± 2.5 years), the teeth were bonded with In-ovation brackets; the second group's (aged 14 ± 3.34 years) teeth were bonded with conventional preadjusted straight wire brackets. The patients were followed throughout treatment, and the number of white spot lesions was noted at debonding.

Results: The results revealed no statistically significant differences in white spot lesion development between conventional straight wire and self-ligating brackets.

Conclusion: No differences in terms of white spot lesion formation were found between conventional straight wire and self-ligating brackets, and white spot lesion formation does depend largely on patients' oral hygiene status, not the type of bracket or ligation used.