Development and in vitro testing of an innovative orthodontic bracket debonding force measurement device

Orthodontic brackets are removed from the teeth surfaces after fixed appliance therapy using debonding pliers, but the applied forces are unknown. There is a need for clinicians to know the debonding forces and so this study was aimed to develop an orthodontic debonding force measurement device and to test it in vitro. The device consists of an Orthodontic debonding plier with 3D printed handle covers to adapt the Force Sensitive Resistors (FSRs) which in-turn is attached to an electronic circuit made with a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) connected with a microcontroller. The forces applied by the plier during removal of orthodontic brackets were captured through an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) software display. The device was tested using 20 artificial lower premolar teeth with brackets bonded on the labial (outer) surface of the teeth. Forces generated from both the handles of the plier were recorded for each sample. The descriptive statistics along with Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was performed. Between the tested samples, the least debonding force at the tip of the plier was 66.67 N and highest was 141.26 N with a mean of 111.61 N. Higher forces were recorded in the plier's upper handle which had contact with palm and thumb finger than the lower handle with the remaining finger's contact. The preliminary in vitro testing of the developed orthodontic debonding force measurement device was found functionally satisfactory. The device is simple to use and will be beneficial to the clinicians in monitoring the debonding forces.