Evaluation of force decay rate in orthodontic elastomeric chains in the environment of various mouthwashes: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Different studies about the effects of mouthwashes on force reduction by elastomeric
chains are reported in the literature. Hence, this review was done for the assessment of force
degradation in the elastomeric chains in different mouthwash compositions. This study helps to improve
the clinical performance of elastomeric chains used in orthodontics, reducing force degradation,
and finally assisting clinicians in choosing better and more efficient methods for their treatments.
Materials and Methods: In this review article, an extensive search was performed in the electronic
databases of Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus from the year 1990–2020. No
language restriction was considered and manually investigated the reference lists of all articles related
to the title. Out of 450 obtained articles, 14 in vitro studies were chosen based on the inclusion criteria,
and their quality was assessed using modified CONSORT. This systematic review was limited and
written based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‑Analyses protocol.
Results: Based on the results achieved, mouthwashes containing alcohol caused considerable force
degradation in the elastomeric chains compared to the alcohol‑free ones and mouthwashes with
fluoride caused lesser force degradation compared to other types.
Key Words: Degradation, elastomeric, environment, mouthwash