Orthodontic traction of impacted teeth involving gold chain bonding: A retrospective study on success rate and associated factors

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the success rate of orthodontic traction of impacted teeth using the gold chain bonding (GCB) procedure. Material and Methods: Orthodontic patients underwent the GCB procedure at the National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS) between 2014 and 2021. The sample comprised 495 teeth from 421 patients (238 male, 257 female; median age 14; range 7 -38 years). The historical records of these patients’ orthopantomograms and electronic medical records were reviewed to collect data on age, gender, ethnicity, tooth type, and surgical re-intervention. The success rate was calculated and compared using chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The overall success rate of the GCB procedure was 93.3%. There was no significant difference in the success rates between male (92.9%) and female (93.8%) patients (P = 0.779) or between Chinese (93.2%), Malay (94.4%), and Indian (91.7%) patients (P = 0.664). Younger patients have significantly higher odds of success than older patients (P = 0.0099, odds ratio = 0.897). The success rate was highest for the upper lateral incisors (97.4%) followed by upper central incisors (94.7%). The success rate of surgical re-intervention of the GCB procedure was 69%. Conclusion: Gold chain bonding is a highly predictable procedure for orthodontic treatment of impacted teeth with a high success rate especially in younger patients. Gender and ethnicity do not significantly affect the success rate.