Orthodontic material usage among Malaysian orthodontists

Abstract

Fixed orthodontic treatment requires the use of orthodontic brackets and archwires in order to correct malocclusions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pattern of orthodontic material usages i.e. bracket and archwire among Malaysian orthodontists. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to members of the Malaysian Association of Orthodontist. Data entry and statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 15.0. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Means and standard deviations were calculated for continuous variables, frequency and percentages for categorical variables. Thirty-four orthodontists responded to the survey, with 76% (n=26) were female and the mean age was 43.31 years (SD 8.76). Most respondents used conventional metal brackets (60%, n=60) and most bracket prescription used was MBT (56%, n=19). At levelling stage, most respondents used nickel titanium archwire (84.5%, n=47). Stainless steel archwire was the most favourable choice for retraction/space closure stage (73.9%, n=34). At finishing, most respondents (60.4%, n=29) preferred to use stainless steel wire in their cases. As a conclusion, specific types of orthodontic materials were preferred and used by Malaysian orthodontists in delivering orthodontic treatment.