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Titanium‐molybdenum brace in the treatment of ingrown toenails

Dear Editor, Ingrown toenails typically affect the great toes.1 Effective noninvasive treatment methods of the disease remain limited.2 The aim of the study was to analyze the efficacy of an original Ebrace® made from titaniummolybdenum alloy (TMA) for correcting ingrown toenails. This prospective study was conducted at a podiatry clinic on a total of 120 participants (72 women and 48 men), aged 18– 70 years (mean 44.3 ± 16.9), with unilateral or bilateral ingrown great toenail, treated with the use of TMA brace (Figure S1). Seventy one patients were observed for 5 years to assess longterm efficacy, and 41 were lost to follow up. Data on disease duration and possible causes (onychomycosis, concomitant diabetes, and history of surgical interventions) were collected. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and the Scholz scale (Table S1) were used to evaluate pain intensity and disease stage, respectively. Complete symptom resolution was observed in 114 patients, and symptom reduction to stages 1 and 2 was found in 4 and 2 patients, respectively. Table 1 presents pain intensity and treatment duration in the study group. A statistically significant decrease in pain (p < 0.0001) was observed after treatment completion. Pain before the treatment was significantly lower in patients with onychomycosis as compared to those without (p = 0.00004). Time to complete symptom resolution in the entire study population ranged from 1 to 12 months (mean 4.1) was similar for both sexes, significantly longer in patients with diabetes (p = 0.058) and those previously treated surgically (p < 0.0001), and shorter in patients