Effect of Adherent Contour on Orthodontic Tensile Bond Strength

Abstract

Many factors may affect orthodontic bond strength study results. An important variant to consider is the bonding surface contour. Contour alters the proximity of adherent surfaces, the surface area available for adhesion, and the stress distribution. It was the purpose of this study to determine if bracket base or enamel contour affect in vitro bond strengths. Orthos Mini-Diamond (ORMCO Corp.) .0 018" slot central incisor brackets with flattened or unaltered curved bases were bonded (System 1 + self cure resin cement by ORMCO, Corp.) to unaltered and flattened bovine central incisors. Bond strengths were determined by debonding on a Bionix 858 (MTS System Corp.) testing machine. The results showed that unaltered bracket bases bonded on unaltered enamel surfaces (the closest approximation to a clinical situation) had the significantly (p< 0.0002) lowest tensile bond strength among the three combinations. The adhesive remnant index evaluation demonstrated that unaltered bracket base/ unaltered enamel surface (Group II) had significantly higher ARI (less adhesive remaining on enamel) than any of the other groups. A negative correlation between ARI scores and mean bond strength was found. There was not a significant difference between flattened bracket base / flattened enamel surface (Group I) and unaltered bracket base/ flattened enamel surface. The results suggest that the surface convexity and texture of enamel are important variables that can affect bond strength tests results. Standardization of testing protocols and control of the different variables that can affect bond strength are important factors in the testing of orthodontic brackets.