Force decay of orthodontic elastomeric chains: A systematic review

Abstract

In orthodontic therapy elastics and elastomeric chains are commonly used as an active component. These synthetic elastic materials are not supposed to be ideal, as they are sensitive to prolonged exposure to saliva, water, enzymes, temperature variations and external factors. The main disadvantage of elastomeric auxiliaries is their inability to sustain the delivered force for an extended period of time. The objective of this review is to determine the time taken by the elastomeric chains force to degrade after stretching and to assess oral environment and external factors affect the decay force of elastomeric chains. Databases such as PubMed, Medline, and the Cochrane Library are searched electronically. Additional sources (Google Scholar, clinicaltrails.gov) were manually searched for additional trials or protocols until December 2021 Studies involving in vitro and in vivo exposure of elastomeric chains in various factors like, temperature, saliva, beverages, food, paste, mouthwash, etc were included. 18 studies included primarily focused on the force decay in E-chains and also the associated external factors. The force decay of the Elastomeric chains was affected by time, temperature and environment. The force decay of the elastomeric chains was affected by time, temperature, and environment. The greatest effect on the elastomeric chain is shown by temperature. Force loss increased with increasing temperature, as expected of a viscoelastic material.