Comparative evaluation and influence of various staining agents on color stability and fluorescence of different esthetic orthodontic wires: An in vitro study

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare and evaluate the effect of three staining solutions on the color stability of three different brands of esthetic archwires using a spectrophotometer and also to compare the fluorescence of esthetic archwires with extracted human teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 84 nickel–titanium (NiTi)-coated esthetic archwires with the same cross section and size (0.016 × 0.022″) were included. All samples were divided into four groups of 21 each, that is, group 1: artificial saliva (AS), group 2: coffee (C) solution, group 3: turmeric (T) solution, and group 4: chlorhexidine (CH) mouth rinse; each group was subdivided into three subgroups of seven each (Opal Classic (OC), Libral Rabbit Force (LRF), and Ortho Organizers (OO)). The baseline value (T0) was measured before immersion in the staining solution and then immersed in the staining solution for 21 days. The color measurements were recorded at different time intervals on the 7(th), 14(th), and 21(st) days using a spectrophotometer. The fluorescence of archwires is tested in a dark atmosphere using a fluorescent black lamp. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and post hoc Bonferroni test. RESULTS: A significant amount of color change in all three brands of archwires from day 0 to day 21 (p < 0.005) was observed, except for OC in the CH mouth rinse group (p = 0.230). The fluorescence of OO matches with the natural teeth. CONCLUSION: LRF showed the highest overall color change followed by OO and OC. Turmeric is the most chromogenic agent, followed by Coffee and CH mouth rinse.