Abstract Background: Passive self-ligating brackets promise reduced friction but second clip deformation risks from intraoral debris after prolonged exposure, potentially complicating clinical use. Methods: In this split-mouth study, Damon Ultima brackets (Ormco) were bonded to palatal surfaces of maxillary first premolars in 17 healthy orthodontic patients (mean age 18. 4 ± 2. 9 years). After 12 weeks intraoral exposure, brackets were debonded; one per patient received glycine-based airflow polishing (3M Clinpro Glycine), the other served as untreated control. Clips were tested closed on a custom apparatus with tensile force (5 mm/min, 3 repeats/bracket; n=34 brackets, 102 measurements) for minimum opening resistance, compared to baseline (T₀). Results: Post-exposure, controls showed significantly higher initial clip-opening force vs. T₀ (p<0. 05). Airflow normalized initial forces to T₀ levels, with significantly lower resistance vs. controls (p<0. 05) ; repeated openings averaged higher but showed no group difference. Conclusions: Airflow polishing mitigates intraoral debris-induced clip resistance increases, easing clinical manipulation. Aim: To evaluate airflow polishing's effect on clip-opening resistance in passive self-ligating brackets post-12-week intraoral exposure.
ÇAKIR et al. (Sat,) studied this question.