Comparison of bonding time and shear bond strength between a conventional and a new integrated bonding system

Conventional adhesive systems use 3 different agents, an enamel conditioner, a primer solution, and an adhesive resin during the bonding of orthodontic brackets to enamel. A characteristic of some new bonding systems is that they combine the conditioning and priming agents into a single application as well as precoat the bracket with the adhesive in an attempt to save time during the bonding procedure. This study compared the total bonding time and shear bond strength (SBS) of 2 bracket-bonding systems: (1) an integrated system that incorporates a self-etching primer and precoated brackets and (2) a conventional system in which the etchant and primer are applied separately and the adhesive applied to the bracket by the clinician. The results of the SBS and the total bonding time comparisons (t = 3.451) of the 2 adhesive systems showed a significant difference (P = .0001). The mean SBS was 9.4+/-3.7 MPa for the new bonding system and 6.2+/-4.4 MPa for the conventional system. The mean total bonding time was 36.5 s/tooth for the new system and 46.7 s/tooth for the conventional system. The clinician has to decide whether the increase in bond strength, the decrease in the total bonding time, and the steps saved during the bonding procedure with the new bonding system balance the increased cost incurred.