A Clinical Comparison of the Effectiveness of Two Types of Orthodontic Aligning Archwire Materials
A Clinical Comparison of the Effectiveness of Two Types of Orthodontic Aligning Archwire Materials
The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of using heat-activated NiTi with
 superelastic NiTi archwires during the initial phase of orthodontic treatment.

 Primary Objective:

 To compare the difference in the amount of crowding in the lower incisors after 4 and 8 weeks
 from the start of treatment.

 Secondary Objectives:

 1. To compare the amount of orthodontically-induced inflammatory root resorption (OIIRR) in
 the apical region of mandibular central incisors between the two groups of archwires

 2. To compare the amount of pain perception between the two groups of archwires during the
 1st week after each wire placement.
Objectives: To compare the heat-activated nickel titanium (HANT) with superelastic nickel
 titanium (SENT) archwires in terms of their effectiveness in aligning teeth, possibility of
 inducing root resorption, and patient perception of pain during the initial phase of
 treatment.

 Subjects and Methods: Orthodontic patient aged 12 years or over with lower anterior crowding
 of 3-6 mm. who need treatment without extraction, were randomly allocated to the HANT and
 SENT archwires groups with a 1:1 allocation ratio. Archwire sequence in both groups was
 0.014-inch and 0.016-inch, respectively. Each archwire was placed for 4 weeks. Outcome
 measures included the amount of crowding using Little's irregularity index (LII), apical root
 resorption, and pain perception. The effectiveness of alignment was tested using 2X2 mixed
 factorial ANOVA, while root resorption and pain perception were tested by the Mann-Whitney U
 test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test (P<0.05).
Inclusion Criteria:

 1. Patients indicated for fixed appliance orthodontic treatment who have a moderate
 crowding (3-6mm) according to the Little's irregularity index (LII).

 2. Full set of lower permanent dentition excluding the third molars.

 3. No history of trauma or root resorption in the lower incisors.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 1. Previous orthodontic treatment.

 2. Less than 3mm of lower incisor crowding (LII) or with spaced incisors.

 3. Severe crowding in the lower arch (greater than 7mm) which requires extraction.

 4. Blocked-out teeth that cannot be engaged with the aligning archwire.

 5. Patients with periodontally compromised teeth.