A new studyfrom researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University has found that themajority of orthodontists (73%) responding to a survey have been usingself-ligating brackets (SLBs) for 2 to 10 years, and most respondents(76%) became comfortable with SLBs after treating fewer than 30 cases,according to an article on DrBicuspid.com.
The findings showed, however, that 36% of respondents who had usedSLBs reported that they no longer use them or were planning to stopusing them. Of those who stopped using SLBs, the majority indicated thatthe lack of noticeable advantages did not justify the expandedinventory and increased costs.
The researchers further found that more orthodontists preferred SLBsduring the initial stage of treatment, due to the shorter adjustmentappointments and faster initial treatment progress they provided.However, 64% of respondents preferred conventional brackets during thefinishing and detailing stages of treatment. In terms ofcost-effectiveness, 68% preferred conventional brackets over SLBsbecause they were cheaper and resulted in fewer emergency appointments.
The authors of the study developed and distributed the survey to 430 orthodontists.
The study appears in The Angle Orthodontist.
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