Comparison of the shear bond strength of 2 self-etch primer/adhesive systems

Conventional adhesive systems use 3 different agents-an enamel conditioner, a primer solution, and an adhesive resin for bonding orthodontic brackets to enamel. A unique characteristic of some new bonding systems in operative dentistry is that they combine the conditioning and priming agents into a single application. Combining conditioning and priming saves time and should be more cost-effective to the clinician and indirectly to the patient. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the effects of mix and no-mix self-etch primers/bonding systems on the shear bond strengths of orthodontic brackets. The brackets were bonded to extracted human molars according to the following protocols. In group I, a self-etch acidic primer/adhesive system, Transbond Plus (3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif), was applied on the enamel surface as suggested by the manufacturer; it has 2 components that must be mixed before use. The brackets were then bonded with Transbond XT and light-cured for 20 seconds. In group II, a no-mix self-etch bracket adhesive system, Ideal 1 (GAG International, Islandia, NY), was applied to the teeth as suggested by the manufacturer. The self-etch primer has 1 component that does not need to be mixed before use. The brackets were then bonded with the adhesive and light-cured for 20 seconds. The in vitro findings indicated that the shear bond strength comparisons (t = 0.681) of the 2 adhesive systems were not significantly different (P =.501). The mean shear bond strength of the 2-component acid etch primer was 5.9 +/- 2.7 MPa, and the mean for the 1-component system was 6.6 +/- 3.2 MPa. The clinician should consider the bond strength and the ease of application of the various components of the bracket bonding systems available on the market.