A Comparative Evaluation of the Separation Effects and Dislodgement Rate of Four Different Orthodontic Separators.

Abstract

Background: Recently, there have been a lot of discussions on the effectiveness of the different available separators used in
the separation of teeth for the purpose of accurate and atraumatic banding during fixed orthodontic therapy. This prospective
study compared four types of orthodontic separators (dumbbell elastomeric, round elastomeric, stainless steel, and nickeltitanium), their separation effect, the dislodgement rate, the effect of patient’s age and gender on separation effect.
Methods: Fifty pre-orthodontic patients scheduled for fixed orthodontic treatment at the Obafemi Awolowo Teaching
Hospital, Ile-Ife had four different types of orthodontic separators randomly placed in the mesial and distal interproximal
contact points of each first permanent molar, in all the four quadrants. After five days of separation, the number and types of
separator loss were recorded to assess the dislodgement rate. After separator removal, the separation effect for each type of
separator was measured with a leaf gauge. Statistical analysis was done using ANOVA, and Tukey’s tests were used to
compare the mean separation effects with statistical significance set at p<0.05.
Results: Dumbbell separators achieved the greatest mean separation effect (0.40mm), while nickel-titanium achieved the
least (0.26mm). The dislodgement rate for dumbbell, round, stainless steel, and nickel-titanium separators were 7%, 2%,
0%, and 2% respectively.
Conclusions: Dumbbell separators achieved the most significant separation effect and may be useful in achieving greater
separation effects. No separator dislodgement was observed with the stainless-steel separator. Separation effectiveness was
not associated with age and gender differences.