TRIBOLOGY: A new frontier in orthodontics
Abstract: Tribology is the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative motion.
It includes the study and application of principles of friction, lubrication and wear. Friction is a force that retards or resists the relative motion of two objects in contact. In Orthodontics, friction is a clinical challenge which is generated by an archwire and bracket and is influenced by interaction of many variables like the bracket composition, bracket width, interbracket distance, slot size, arch wire, second order angulation, degree of torsion,ligation, and wet and dry environment.
The ability to quantify and control friction will lead to less anchorage loss, more predictable tooth movement, and the use of ideal force levels to overcome friction and optimize physiological tooth movement. An understanding of this mechanism is imperative as this insight enables the Orthodontist appropriate utilization of orthodontic biomechanical principles, as well as how it pertains to the orthodontic appliances.
Keywords:
Tribology, Friction, Nanotribology, Biotribology, Archwire-Bracket inter