Enamel Bond Strength of Self-Etching Adhesives to Orthodontic Brackets: An In Vitro Study

Background: Self-etch adhesives, which have combined the acidic monomer, primer and adhesive resin into one bottle, have been extensively tested on dentin and cut-enamel; however, very limited studies test their performances on uncut enamel. Objective: To assess their shear bond strength(SBS) on uncut enamel bonded to orthodontic brackets. Methods:160 premolars were divided into four groups: SU(Scotchbond™ Universal Adhesive), BU(All-Bond Universal), CU(Clearfil Universal Bond), the control total-etch adhesive, C(Adper™ Scotchbond™ Multi-Purpose Adhesive). Following storage in distilled water(24 h/6 months), they were tested for SBS, adhesive remnant index(ARI) and percentage of remaining resin(%RR). Data was analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Student-t test(α =0.05). Results: C group had the highest SBS, ARI and mean %RR. BU group had the lowest SBS. SBS and ARI decreased over time for SU and BU, but remained stable for CU and there was no difference in %RR. Conclusion: None of the self-etch adhesives achieved the recommended SBS for orthodontic treatment.M.Sc