ASSESSING MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION OF AS RECEIVED ORTHODONTIC BRACKETS AND WIRES- AN IN VITRO STUDY

Objective: To test the null hypothesis that orthodontic brackets and wires as supplied by manufacturers do not have microbial contamination and are ready to be inserted directly intraorally.? Materials and Methods: Two different types of orthodontic materials were used straight from the manufactures package (20 different stainless steel rectangular wires and 20 orthodontic brackets) without any additional sterilizing step. Three separate microbial tests were performed to check the contamination of the bacteria. The tests were DBTT (Direct Bacterial Turbidity Test), OST (Optical Screening Test) & Gram Staining, and PCR (Polymerised Chain Reaction) to isolate bacterial colonies and identify them. Results: Of these materials tested, three genera of bacteria, implicated as opportunistic pathogens, namely, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and E. coli were recovered from the orthodontic brackets and wires. Conclusions: Our data showing microbial contamination on orthodontic materials highlights the need of sterilization before clinical use. We also suggest that manufacturer s should declare the sterility state of orthodontic materials on their packaging or instruction s stating the need for sterilization.