In Vitro evaluation of cytotoxic effects of beeswax and different wax materials used during orthodontic treatment

Büyükokuroğlu, M. E. (2024). In Vitro Evaluation of Cytotoxic Effects of Beeswax and Different Wax Materials Used During Orthodontic Treatment. Doctoral Thesis, Biruni University Graduate Education Institute, İstanbul. During fixed orthodontic treatment, brackets and wires can cause trauma and ulceration to the oral mucosa. In such cases, patients are given protective orthodontic waxes to prevent the trauma and mucosal ulcerations. However, the potential cytotoxic effects of these waxes have not been investigated. This study evaluated the cytotoxic effects of different commercially available orthodontic protective waxes and beeswax. The cytotoxicity of three different brands of orthodontic waxes [Ios (Texas, USA), Ormco (California, USA), Bilkim (Izmir, Turkey)] and yellow and white beeswax, natural materials that may be an alternative to these brands, was evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method on a human gingival fibroblast cell line. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey test. When the cell proliferation percentages obtained by the MTT method were analyzed, it was observed that the cytotoxic effects of Ios (p ˂ 0.001) and Ormco (p ˂ 0.01) commercial waxes were significantly different compared to the control group (p ˂ 0.001). On the other hand, there was no statistically significant difference in the cytotoxic effects of Bilkim brand commercial wax and white and yellow beeswaxes compared to the control group (p > 0.05). The results of the present study showed that Ios and Ormco brand commercial waxes showed severe cytotoxicity, Bilkim brand commercial wax and white beeswax showed mild cytotoxicity, and yellow beeswax showed no cytotoxicity. Keywords: Cytotoxicity, Bees wax, Orthodontics, Wax, Inflammation