A clinical retrospective evaluation of 2 orthodontic band cements

This study aimed to compare the time to first failure of stainless steel orthodontic first permanent molar bands cemented with either a modified composite (Band-Lok, Reliance Orthodontic Products) or a conventional glass ionomer cement (AquaCem, De Trey Dentsply). The effect of patient sex, patient age at the start of treatment, the presenting malocclusion, treatment mechanics, and the operator proficiency on band survival was also assessed. Data for 219 bands cemented with Band-Lok in 108 patients and for 395 bands cemented with AquaCem in 183 patients were analyzed. For each case, a single molar band, either the band that was first to fail or the band that had the shortest follow-up time, was chosen for analysis. For each cement, whether headgear was used or not, there was no significant difference in time to first band failure (P = .398). Twenty-six percent of patients had at least one band failure with Band-Lok, and 30% of patients had at least one band failure with AquaCem, representing an 18% band failure rate for each cement. There was no significant difference in time to first band failure for either cement with respect to sex of the patient (P = .842), patient age at the start of treatment (P = .257), presenting malocclusion (P = .319), or operator proficiency (P = .062). The use of headgear, however, reduced significantly the time to first band failure irrespective of cement type (P = .0069). Headgear use was identified as a predictor of first permanent molar band survival. Clinical performance of bands cemented with either cement appears to be similar and was influenced significantly by the use of headgear.