Our study analyzes the morphological aspect and surface elemental chemical composition of salivary crystals obtained from 19 subjects (11 males and 8 females) aged 11-26 years (mean age 20.64±5.316 years) with/without orthodontic appliances, by the SEM-EDS method. Statistical evaluation was performed using the SPSS 20.0 software. Three morphological types of salivary crystals were identified, namely: type I, with regulated polyhedral aspect, formed of a complex chemical compound with a high percentage of potassium and chlorine; type II, with irregular ovoid aspect, formed of a complex chemical compound with a high percentage of sodium, oxygen and silicon; type III, with ovoid luminescent layout, formed of a complex chemical compound with a high percentage of phosphorus, oxygen and potassium. Statistically significant differences were found between the mean values of nickel and calcium on the groups of subjects without and with previously applied orthodontic appliances (p<0.05).
Keywords:- morphological aspect
- orthodontic appliances
- salivary crystals
- SEM-EDS method.
- surface chemical analysis