An in vivo investigation of three different elasticligatures by PCR (Polymerase chain reactġon) formġcrobġologġcal and AFM (Atomic force microscope) forsurface roughness

This study was carried out with 10 patients (6 males, 4 females, 13,58 ± 0,79 ages) who have been started to be treated at Gaziantep University Dentistry Faculty Orthodontics Department. In our cross quadrant in vivo study, three different types of elastic ligatures were examined in terms of microbiological and surface roughness. PI and GI measurements were made at 5 different times as T0, T1, T2, T3 and T4. Real time PCR analysis was performed on the elastic ligatures extracted from the mouths of the patients at T1, T2, T3 and T4 times. Surface roughness analyses were evaluated with AFM. Initial PI and GI measurements were significantly lower than the measurements made during the entire treatment period. There was no significant difference between the PI and GI measurements compared to each other throughout the treatment. When compared the total number of bacteria in each group, the number of S. mutans accumulated on Group I elastic ligatures was significantly higher than all the other groups. There was no significant difference between the other elastic ligature groups or between these groups and the control group. A significant difference was found when the initial surface roughness values (Ra0) of all groups were compared. The initial surface roughness values (Ra0) and the surface roughness values after used in the mouth (Ra1) of all groups were found to be different from each other. In the comparison of the Ra0 and Ra1 values of the groups, Ra0 value of Group I was found significantly high. In Group II and Group III, no significant difference was found. There was no correlation between the total number of S. mutans accumulated on the surface of the elastic groups and the Ra1 parameters. As a result, no correlation was found between surface roughness and microorganism colonization. Key words: AFM, in vivo, PCR, surface roughness, S.mutans