Importance of determining and establishing latex allergy in orthodontic patients

Introduction: The current study was commended with the aim of assessing the incidence of latex allergy in orthodontic patients. Materials and Methods: Silver-coloured orthodontic elastomeric ligatures (modular) from six different manufacturers were selected for the cytotoxicity study, being one of natural latex, two of latex-free and three containing polyurethane. The samples were divided into 6 groups of 15 elastics each. The cytotoxicity of these orthodontic elastics was determined through the dye-uptake technique, which is based on the neutral red absorption by living cells. Different periods of time were considered: 1, 2, 3, 7 and 28 days. Results: Among all the respondents to the survey, 7.5% showed positive change after wearing elastics. Most of the positive changes were seen in females Conclusion: Safe orthodontics practice is dependent upon recognising patients with allergy along with awareness of etiologic materials.