Chemical analysis and Vickers hardness of orthodontic mini-implants

Abstract

Orthodontic mini-implants are used in clinical practice to provide efficient and aesthetically-pleasing anchorage. Aim: To evaluate the hardness (Vickers hardness) and chemical composition of miniimplant titanium alloys from five commercial brands. Methods: Thirty self-drilling mini-implants, six each from the following commercial brands, were used: Neodent (NEO), Morelli (MOR), Sin (SIN), Conexão (CON), and Rocky Mountain (RMO). The hardness and chemical composition of the titanium alloys were performed by the Vickers hardness test and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. Results: Vickers hardness was significantly higher in SIN implants than in NEO, MOR, and CON implants. Similarly, VH was significantly higher in RMO implants than in MOR and NEO ones. In addition, VH was higher in CON implants than in NEO ones. There were no significant differences in the proportions of titanium and aluminum in the mini-implant alloy of the five commercial brands. Conversely, the proportion of vanadium differed significantly between CON and MOR/NEO implants. Conclusions: Mini-implants of different brands presented distinct properties of hardness and composition of the alloy.