Corrosion evaluation of orthodontic wires in artificial saliva solutions by using response surface methodology

Abstract

In the present work, stainless steel and Ni-Ti commercial orthodontic wires were immersed in artificial saliva solutions, containing or not F- ions, in different pH values, during 30 days. The weight loss and the Ni2+ content in the solutions at 15 and 30 days of exposition were evaluated using a composite design 2³ and response surface methodology. The open circuit potential (OCP) was measured over the same period of time. Polarization curves and morpHological analysis of the wires before and after the corrosion experiments were also carried out. The results showed that corrosion of the studied metal alloys depended on a combination among saliva pH, the exposition time, and the concentration of F- ions in the solution. The critical condition was observed for Ni-Ti wires at pH = 3.0, and high concentration of F- ions, causing a decrease in the OCP values and an increase in Ni dissolution and corrosion current density.

Keywords

• orthodontic wires
• corrosion
• experimental design
• artificial saliva