## 4 Discussion
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Split** & **\(\Delta\)PTV Horizontal** & **\(\Delta\)PTV Vertical** \\ \hline Wire Composite Splint & \(1.34\pm 2.16\) & \(0.50\pm 1.14\) \\ Power Chain Splint & \(0.39\pm 1.28\) & \(0.21\pm 2.00\) \\ Titanium Trauma Splint & \(1.61\pm 2.10\) & \(-0.76\pm 2.78\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} \(\Delta\)PTV = (pre-application PTV) – (post-application PTV). Positive values represent decreased tooth mobility while negative values increased tooth mobility.  
\end{table} 
Table 9: Splint effects (\(\Delta\)PTV) for central incisors. Most of the materials used as dental traumatic splints (e.g., ligature wires, orthodontic wires) are commonly found in dental offices and are used for other purposes on a daily basis. Others, such as the TTS, have been specifically designed for splinting. As an alternative to wire, some clinicians also use a nylon fishing line [27] or a whipper snipper nylon purchased from a hardware store [28]. We focused on three different materials in our study: the wire with a diameter of 0.5 mm, the TTS, and the power chain. The wire-composite splint (WCS) is one of the most widely used in trauma treatment. It is cheap and easily available in dental offices. According to different research studies, the WCS with a wire diameter up to 0.4 mm is classified as a flexible one [5; 7; 8; 9; 12; 14; 15; 16]. A 0.5-mm diameter wire is assessed in our study with its law horizontal splint effect (below two Periotest units), which should be also considered as flexible. The titanium trauma splint (TTS) with its unique rhomboid mesh structure is designed to ease the application and removal of the device and its adaptation to the contour of the dental arch [29]. Since the values of a horizontal splint effect obtained for the TTS and the WCS were very similar, we may also classify the TTS as a flexible splint. It is in accordance with results from another studies where splinting with the TTS was presented as a method allowing for physiological tooth mobility [5; 10; 12; 13; 18]. A significant decrease in lateral mobility of central incisors was observed after the application of the WCS and the TTS. However, based on the results of the physiological Periotest values (PTV) obtained for central incisors in individuals in a very similar age group [30] to this in our study, we could assume that PTV values recorded for central incisors after splinting with both materials were within the limits of physiological mobility. With a significantly marked decrease in the horizontal mobility of the central incisors and only slight changes in vertical mobility of these teeth following splinting, we revealed similar findings to those presented in the previous studies [5; 8]. Such results indicated that splinting materials ensure adequate lateral teeth stabilization, while allowing for vertical physiological mobility. The power chain (PCS) is made of connected strings of elastics used in orthodontic commonly for space closure. The idea of using it as a dental trauma splint was presented a few years ago. It was chosen due to its availability in dental offices, its flexibility and design, similar to the TTS [18]. A definite advantage of both materials are the holes that defines a small area of bonding, reducing the amount of composite to be used and preventing it from flowing out and from creating a bulk of composite around the splint [18; 29]. Such fixation of the splints clearly simplifies their application and removal. It is important to bond the PCS in a passive state without activating the elastic. The evaluation of the parameters of the power chain carried out so far in an experimental situation has provided promising results [18]. It was found to be flexible due to its low stiffness, ensuring sufficient mobility of the teeth. The splint was also characterized by a very good esthetic, an easiness of application, and a low material cost [18].