Saliva from 30 orthodontic patients in Bengaluru was analyzed by ICP-MS before treatment, after initial alignment and after 10 to 12 months. Salivary chromium rose after alignment and remained above baseline at 10 to 12 months.
Key numbers
- Salivary chromium (ppb, mean ± SD, n = 30): pretreatment 69.15 ± 60.48; after aligning wires 102.68 ± 68.12; after 10 to 12 months 87.67 ± 63.47 (Table 2, p. 16).
Methods (brief)
Unstimulated saliva (5 mL) collected at three time points and analyzed by ICP-MS; repeated-measures comparison by ANOVA.
Evidence fitness
Supports a statement that fixed orthodontic appliances are a measurable intraoral source of chromium in saliva. It does not convert salivary levels into swallowed dose or health risk.
Limitations
Small single-center sample; no detection limit or reference material reported; large between-person variation; no control group without appliances.
Related evidence
Update history
No substantive edit history is available in this build. The full commit record is available in git.