The Effectiveness Between Stainless Steel and Titanium-Alloy Micro-Implant During En-Masse Retraction

Objectives: The application of temporary anchorage devices such as micro-implants or miniscrews and miniplates are gradually accepted in orthodontic treatment as a method to reinforce anchorage. Titanium alloy (TiA) micro-implants is well known due to it biocompatible behavior as compared to stainless steel (SS) micro-implants. The purpose of this study was to measure and compare: anchorage loss and upper labial retraction between SS micro-implants and TiA micro-implants.
Methods: The study comprised twenty-seven patients (12 males: 15 females; mean age 23.7 + 5.25 years) gathered from Universiti Teknologi MARA postgraduate clinic. All subjects required extraction of upper first premolars and maximum reinforce of anchorage. The subjects were randomised equally into two groups, TiA group and SS group. Following aligning and leveling, with working archwire 0.019 x 0.025”, 1.6 mm in diameter and 8 mm in length micro-implants were placed between first molar and the second premolar in the maxilla and loaded with 150 gm retraction force with Nickel-Titanium closed coil spring after 4 weeks placement. Study casts were collected at before retraction (T0), at month 1 (T1) and month 3 (T2). The casts then were digitized using Viewbox version 4.0. The data were analysed by using SPSS version 22.
Results: There were no statistically significant difference of anchorage loss of maxillary molar, 0.63 mm with SS micro-implants, 0.54 mm with TiA micro-implants (p= 0.360) and retraction of labial segment; 4.49 mm with SS micro-implants and 4.91 mm with TiA micro-implant (p=0.114).
Conclusions: There was no statistically significance difference of anchorage loss and upper labial segment retraction between SS and TiA micro-implants. Both type of micro-implants exhibited to be clinically effective for anchorage reinforcement in orthodontic treatment.