Comparison Between Preformed Archwires and Dental Arch Forms

Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare Japanese and Caucasian Class I and II maloclussion to commercially available preformed Nickel Titanium (NiTi) archwires.

Methods: The results published by Nojima et al 2001 were used for the mandibular arch values of intercanine width, first molar width, canine depth, and first molar depth.  22 popular NiTi archwires that are commercially available in both Japanese and American markets were used forConclusions: There was a large variation of archwire widths observed, and this variation does not coincide with the mandibular malocclusion dental arch. The mean difference of the width between preformed archwire and dental arch form in Caucasian appeared to be 1-2mm wider than Japanese due to Caucasian's deeper dental arch.