Effectiveness of self-ligating orthodontic treatment

Self-ligating brackets (SLBs) was introduced by Stolzenberg in the early 1930s. Many SLBs systems have been patented since then, but few have been put on the market. Since SLBs have reduced friction and hence less force needed to produce tooth movement, they are proposed to have the potential advantages of producing more physiologically harmonious tooth movement. Here a case series of patients treated with SLBs is performed to verify the efficiency, effectiveness, and stability of treatment. Eighteen patients (8 females and 10 males, median age 19 9.2 years, min 10, max 39 years) affected by malocclusion were enrolled in this retrospective study. There were 8 class 1, 5 class 2 and 5 class 3 malocclusion, 3 cross-bites and 2 open-bite. Orthodontic treatment was performed by using 3MUnitek Smart Clip Brackets. Lateral teleradiographic projections of the cranium were used. The cephalometric analysis was performed by using Dolphin Imaging System McLaughlin Cephalometric Analisys. Several variables related to teeth position were investigated. Pearson Chi Square was used to detect statistical differences among studied variables. In the present study we demonstrated that SLBs are effectiveness tools to reach good clinical results since all studied variables (i.e. teeth position) have statistically significant differences between pre and post-treatment control