Evaluation of shear bond strength of orthodontic bracket after using various etching systems: An in vitro study

Aim and objective: This study aimed to assess the shear bond potency of orthodontic brackets following the use of multiple etching systems. Materials and methods: Sixty fit adult human mandibular premolars were employed in this study. Before preparation of the enamel surface, the buccal side of each premolar was subjected to pumicing, washing with a spray, and air-drying. Three groups each constituting 20 teeth were made. Group I: traditional acid etch using 37% phosphoric acid, group II: the self-etch primer namely One-Coat, group III: employing seventh-generation self-etching priming system. Universal testing machine was utilized to evaluate the shear bond test. Conversion to megapascals was done after estimating the forces for debonding in Newtons. The adhesive remnant index (ARI) was employed for every fractured sample following debonding. Results: Group I (19.33 ± 0.22) had the greatest shear bond strength, pursued by group III (13.86 ± 0.37). The lowest shear bond strength was depicted by group II (11.48 ± 0.76). High statistical variation was noted amid the three etching agents after applying the analysis of variance test. The comparative assessment amidst the three dissimilar etching agents revealed a statistically significant difference between the three groups—I, II, and III. A score of 3 that is about 40% was highly prevalent in the traditional acid etch system pursued by 30% of the seventh generation self-etching priming system. The lowest score was for One-Coat primers. Employing the Chi-square test, a 0.036 probability value was obtained which was statistically significant for the compared ARI scores. Conclusion: It can be thus concluded that the three groups assessed through this study depicted clinically satisfactory bond strength. The traditional acid etch system showed the greatest shear strength of bonding pursued by the seventh generation self-etching primer system and self-etch primer named One-Coat in that order. Clinical significance: The bond of orthodontic brackets to the surface of enamel is a key issue in orthodontics as the importance of a steady bonding between the bracket and tooth surface is outrightly obvious. Reducing the steps involved may lessen error incorporation and may cut down the time spent by clinicians with lower chances of decalcification of enamel.