The effect of different force magnitudes for placement of orthodontic brackets on shear bond strength, in three adhesive systems

BACKGROUND: Amount of pressure exerting on orthodontic brackets during bonding can create different thickness of adhesive and affect shear bonding strength(SBS) in different adhesive systems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different force magnitudes for placement of brackets on SBS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In an in vitro study, 420 brackets were placed on the bovine teeth, using three types of adhesives, Concise (chemically cured two-paste mix), Unite (chemically cured no mix), and Transbond XT( light cured), with the application of seven force magnitudes of 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 600 and 1000 grams in twenty-one groups of twenty samples each. SBS means (using two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test) and adhesive remnant index were compared between these twenty-one groups. RESULTS: SBS increased with an increase in force. No increase in Transbond XT SBS happened after 400 grams. In addition, Transbond XT had the lowest bond strength among three adhesives (p<0.001). Adhesive remnant index (ARI) results also indicated a shift in the failure mode from bracket-adhesive interface to adhesive-enamel interface, as the bonding force got heavier (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The force applied on bracket during bonding influences the SBS. In order to have higher bond strength, application of heavy force would be advisable. It is also recommended that constant forces be applied for bracket bonding in future studies. Key words:Adhesive, ARI, Bonding procedures, SBS, shear bond strength.