Comparison of Force Decay Among Continuous, Short, and Long Elastomeric Chains After Consumption of Various Commercially Available Beverages

Objectives To assess and contrast the decline of force in long, short, and continuous configurations of elastomeric chains after exposure to different commercially available beverages like tea, cola, orange juice, coffee solution, and artificial saliva. Materials and Methods Three hundred pieces of Generation II elastomeric chains (long, short, and continuous) were divided into control and test groups. The control group chains were dipped in artificial saliva, while the test group chains were exposed to tea, cola, orange juice, and coffee solutions twice daily for 30 s over a 28-day period. All the chains were pre-extended to two times their initial length and initially tensioned to 250 g. Force measurements were recorded using a digital dynamometer at the end of 28 days. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and parametric tests, including pairwise comparisons. Results Continuous chains exhibited the highest mean force values, particularly in orange juice (127.47 ± 1.16), followed by artificial saliva (121.26 ± 1.13) and cola (109.21 ± 1.37). Short chains showed the highest mean in artificial saliva (122.05 ± 1.25), while the lowest was in orange juice (79.99 ± 1.42). Long chains also retained maximum force in artificial saliva (123.57 ± 1.51) and the least in orange juice (75.70 ± 1.98). Conclusions Continuous elastomeric chains maintained higher residual forces compared with short and long chains. Clinicians should consider chain configuration and patients’ dietary habits to minimize force decay and optimize treatment efficiency.