Bonding characteristics of a self-etching primer and precoated brackets: an in vitro study

Little is known about the performance of Transbond Plus Self-Etching Primer (TPSEP), especially when used with Adhesive Precoated Brackets (APC 1 and APC 2). The aim of this study was to compare the shear bond and rebond strengths and failure sites of APC 1 and APC 2 with a non-coated bracket system [Victory Series (V)] using Transbond XT light-cured adhesive and TPSEP or 37 percent phosphoric acid as the conditioner. The results demonstrated that on dry testing of 120 brackets when applying an occluso-gingival load to produce a shear force at the bracket-tooth interface, there was no statistically significant difference in the shear bond strength (SBS) of APC 1 (68.4 N), APC 2 (74.9 N), and V brackets (75.4 N, control group). There was also no significant difference in bond failure sites of the APC 1 and APC 2 when compared with the non-coated bracket system using Transbond XT light-cured adhesive and TPSEP, with bond failure for all groups occurring mainly at the adhesive-enamel interface. There was a significant difference in the SBS of the V brackets when using TPSEP and 37 percent phosphoric acid as the conditioners. The latter was lower (60.6 N) and the bond failure site changed from the enamel-adhesive interface to the bracket-adhesive interface. The shear rebond strengths of all bracket types were statistically significantly lower (P < 0.05) than their initial SBS (APC 1, APC 2, and V: 35.9, 36.7, and 34.1 N, respectively) and the locus of bond failure altered from the adhesive-enamel interface to the bracket-adhesive interface. A clinical trial using TPSEP as a conditioner would be useful as the time taken to remove the adhesive from the enamel surface may be reduced following debond.