Accuracy of Bracket Positioning in Direct and Indirect Bonding Technique.

BACKGROUND : Pre adjusted edgewise appliances have inbuilt tip, torque and anti-rotation elements. As they incorporated in the bracket itself, final tooth positioning is mostly influenced by the initial bracket positioning. Hence, bracket positioning must be precise and minor deviation can affect the final tooth positioning adversely. OBJECTIVE : To compare the direct and indirect bracket bonding techniques to identify the bonding technique which enables the most accurate bracket positioning. MATERIALS AND METHOD : 30 patients were selected and were divided into Group A and Group B. In Group A direct bonding in 1st and 3rd quadrants and indirect bonding in 2nd and 4th quadrants were planned. Group B receives bonding in opposite way. Brackets were placed according to Roth prescription. Dual Transfer tray was prepared with light body and putty C-silicone. Sondhi rapid set resin was used for indirect bonding. Photographs of all anterior teeth with brackets were taken after complete bond up in standardized manner. These photographs were analysed with GIMP 2.8.2 software for errors in bracket height, mesiodistal position and angulation with magnitude and direction. RESULTS : Errors in vertical and mesiodistal positioning were statistically significant between direct and indirect bonding technique. Though angulation errors exist in both techniques, they were not statistically significant between these techniques. CONCLUSION : Both direct and indirect method doesn’t possess ideal bracket placement. But indirect bonding shows better precision in vertical and mesiodistal positioning compared to direct bonding. The indirect bonding procedure could provide efficient bracket placement in significantly lesser chair side time, which overweighs the cost involved in the laboratory procedure