The effect of clinical use and sterilization on selected orthodontic arch wires.

The effect of clinical use and various sterilization/disinfection protocols on three types of nickel-titanium, and one type each of beta-titanium and stainless steel arch wire was evaluated. The sterilization/disinfection procedures included disinfection alone or in concert with steam autoclave, dry heat, or cold solution sterilization. No clinically significant differences were found between new and used arch wires. The direction of load application to the arch wire and the particular segment of arch wire tested was found to cause substantial differences in generated loads for certain arch wire types.