40th International Conference on Production Engineering of Serbia
ICPES 2025
Nis, Serbia, 18-19th september 2025
NANOCORROSION EFFECT ON NiTi ARCHWIRE EXPOSED TO VARIOUS MOUTHWASHES
Zoran Bobic, Lazar Kovacevic, Vladimir Terek, Marko Zagoricnik, Sanja Kojic, Goran Stojanovic, Bojan Petrovic, Pal Terek
DOI: 10.46793/ICPES25.172B
Nitinol is widely used for orthodontic archwires due to its favourable mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. To maintain oral hygiene and prevent dental plaque, orthodontic patients are advised to use commercially available mouthwashes, many of which contain chlorine- or fluorine-based compounds. These compounds can interact with the surface oxide layer of NiTi alloy, potentially leading to its degradation and the release of toxic nickel ions into the surrounding biological environment. The detrimental effects of chlorine- and fluorine-containing media on NiTi are well-known. However, due to the typically low intensity of the corrosion processes, the characterization of surface corrosion effects in such environments remains a great challenge. In this study, non-electrochemical corrosion tests were conducted on NiTi archwires exposed to artificial saliva and several commercially available mouthwashes to quantify nanometric changes in surface topography. Corrosion effects were evaluated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) in contact mode, with measurements taken at predefined surface locations before and after the corrosion tests. The topographical changes were evaluated using surface roughness parameters: Sa, Ssk, Sdr, and S10z. The analysis revealed that mouthwashes containing chlorine compounds resulted in both material loss and gain on the surface, while fluorine-based mouthwashes caused only material loss. In contrast, samples exposed to artificial saliva exhibited no significant topographical changes. The analytical approach developed in this study proves effective for identifying and distinguishing types of nanoscale surface alterations associated with corrosion. The observed material gain in chlorine-containing mouthwashes is likely due to surface reoxidation, a phenomenon not present in fluorine-containing solutions
NiTi, Corrosion, Mouthwashes, Artificial Saliva, AFM, Nano topography
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