Applicative characteristics of new microelectronic sensors Smart Retainer® and TheraMon® for measuring wear time.

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain the extent to which the new microelectronic sensors Smart Retainer® and TheraMon® are suitable for measuring wear times in orthodontic treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Smart Retainer® wear-time sensor and a prototype of the TheraMon® microsensor were each polymerized into upper plates. The orthodontic appliances were exposed to periodically altered temperatures in a thermostatic water bath.

RESULTS

The wear-time sensors recorded the changes in water temperatures as "wear time" (~35 °C) or "non-wear time" (room temperature). The wear times stored in the sensors were displayed and printed outside the water bath as "wear-time graphs" via readout stations and computers. To be better able to predict their reliability and applicability in orthodontic treatment, we measured the accuracy of the two wear-time sensors by comparing the wear times recorded by the Smart Retainer® and TheraMon® with the programmed water temperatures.

CONCLUSION

Both microelectronic sensors fulfilled the basic requirements for use as objective wear-time sensors in orthodontic appliances in clinical trials and routine orthodontic practice. As it can be incorporated into different orthodontic appliances, the smaller TheraMon® system offers greater versatility than the Smart Retainer®. The TheraMon® also permits the accurate documentation and analysis of wear times down to the minute.