An ex vivo assessment of resin-modified glass ionomer bonding systems in relation to ceramic bracket debond

This ex vivo study assessed three new resin-modified glass ionomer cements (Fuji ORTHO LC, Vitremer, and Dyract-Cem) in relation to ceramic bracket removal. It was hypothesized that the use of these cements would facilitate bracket removal and eliminate debond complications Eighty extracted premolar teeth were divided into four groups of 20 teeth and bonded with Intrigue brackets using each of the resin-modified cements (groups 1, 2, and 3), the control group 4 was bonded with Concise chemically-cured adhesive. The teeth were debonded by applying a shear load using an Instron universal testing machine. The mean force to debond was calculated for each group and each tooth was examined under the stereomicroscope to record the site of bond failure and the Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI). The results showed that the resin-modified cements were very effective at eliminating ceramic bracket debond problems. Bracket fracture was eliminated compared with a 40 per cent fracture rate with the control and the ARI scores were all reduced. The elimination of debond problems appears to be related to the significantly reduced (P < 0.001 using ANOVA and Tukey tests) mean and maximal debond forces compared with the control.