The Effect of Different Soft Drinks on the Force Degradation of Conventional and Memory Orthodontic Elastic Chains: An In-Vitro Study

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess how different soft drinks affect the deterioration of conventional and memory orthodontic elastomeric chains. Materials and Methods: We used 500 five-loop segments of elastomeric chains, which were divided into two equal groups of conventional and memory chains. The samples were kept in artificial saliva during the study period. Each group was further divided into 5 subgroups consisting of artificial saliva (controls), Coca-Cola®, non-alcoholic beer (ISTAK®), and carbonated and non-carbonated yoghurt-based drinks (Alis®). Treatment with the soft drinks consisted of immersion in the test liquids twice a day for 3 minutes each time. Force measurements were taken on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28. Data were analyzed using One- and three-way ANOVA tests, and independent t-test, with a significance level of 5%. Results: The mean initial force for the conventional and memory elastomeric chains was 3.34±0.112N and 2.49±0.209N, respectively. Conventional chains showed significantly greater degradation than memory chains (P<0.01). Soft drinks had a significant impact on force degradation for both types of chains at all time points (P<0.01). Coca-Cola® had the highest level of force degradation, while non-carbonated yoghurt-based drinks had the lowest (P<0.01). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that orthodontic patients choose non-carbonated yoghurt-based drinks during their treatment. Memory elastomeric chains may be more suitable for patients who consume large amounts of carbonated soft drinks, due to their lower amount of force degradation compared to conventional chains.