The Effects of Eucalyptus Oil, Glutathione, and Lemon Essential Oil on the Debonding Force, Adhesive Remnant Index, and Enamel Surface During Debonding of Ceramic Brackets

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to find a chemical reagent that would reduce the debonding force to enable easier debonding of the ceramic brackets, thus reducing enamel damage as well as chair side time. METHODS: The study included 4 groups -control (distilled water), eucalyptus oil, glutathione and lemon essential oil for immersing teeth bonded with ceramic brackets. Samples (25 in each group), extracted first premolars, were mounted and immersed in their respective solution for a duration of 10 minutes following which they were tested to evaluate the debonding force using the INSTRON universal testing machine. The amount of adhesive left behind on the enamel surface was evaluated using adhesive remnant index (ARI) score and surface changes were checked using a scanning electron microscope. RESULTS: Teeth immersed in glutathione showed the greatest amount of reduction in debonding force (p=0.001) compared with other groups. ARI scores were low for specimens immersed in glutathione. SEM images showed that teeth in the glutathione group had a cleaner enamel surface, suggesting less or no adhesive was left behind and no sign of enamel damage after debonding ceramic brackets. CONCLUSION: Specimens that were immersed in glutathione for a duration of 10 minutes before debonding of ceramic brackets showed the greatest reduction in debonding force compared with control and demonstrated peel off effect with no enamel damage. Glutathione can be used as an effective reagent during the clinical debonding of ceramic brackets.