The effect of food simulants on porcelain-composite bonding

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro effects of food simulants on the bond strength of brackets to porcelain surfaces.

One hundred and eighty porcelain-fused to metal specimens were fabricated. Samples were divided into 3 groups including 60 specimens each. Different surface treatment methods were applied to each group and these were: sandblasting (SB), etching with orthophosphoric acid (OPA) and etching with hydrofluoric acid (HFA). After the surface treatments, the brackets were bonded to the center of each sample with a light-curing orthodontic composite adhesive. Then each group was divided into five test subgroups and one control subgroup each consisting of 10 specimens. The test groups were conditioned for 90 days at 37 degrees C as follows: water, 0.02N citric acid, heptane, 8% ethanol aqueous solution and 50% ethanol aqueous solution. The control specimens were stored at room temperature in air. Shear force was applied to the porcelain-bracket interface by using a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min until debonding occurred. The shear bond strength was calculated by dividing the maximum load by the cross-sectional area of the bracket to give the results in megapascals (MPa). The statistical evaluations were made by using analysis of variance. Whenever a significance was detected, Bonferroni tests were performed for post hoc analyses.

Fifty percent ethanol conditioned specimens for all surface treatment groups showed lower shear bond strength values. HFA group showed significantly higher shear bond strength values when compared with other groups (P < 0.05). For all porcelain surface treatment groups, control groups showed statistically significant higher shear bond strength values (P < 0.05).

The results of this in vitro study show that food simulants significantly decrease the bond strength between bracket and porcelain surface.