Figure 1.

Illustration of the brushing device (A), tribometer (B), and the bracket and archwire holder of the modified tribometer (C) used for evaluating changes in friction between orthodontic brackets and archwires coated with different coating materials. In the brushing test setup (A), the toothbrush moves back and forth linearly on the brackets ligated to a flat archwire. In tribometer, the bracket is attached to a 1 cm diameter metal ball and rests on the top without moving in a fixed position (B). The bottom plate to which the archwire connected (C) is controlled by a motor that can move at the micron level and a special software. After the archwire is placed in the bracket slot, it moves linearly.