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: Three different types of orthodontic materials were used straight from the manufactures package without any additional sterilizing step. 20 different stainless steel rectangular wires from and 20 orthodontic brackets, all from different manufacturers. 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 these buccal tubes. Conclusions: Our data showing microbial contamination on orthodontic materials highlights the need of sterilization before clinical use. We also suggest that manufacturer s should list the sterility state of orthodontic materials on their packaging or instruction s stating the need for sterilization.