CO2 laser conditioning of porcelain surfaces for bonding metal orthodontic brackets

Bonding to porcelain remains to be a challenge in orthodontic treatments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of CO2 laser conditioning of porcelain surfaces on shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic brackets. Eighty feldspathic porcelain specimens were divided into four groups of 20. In each group, half of the porcelain surfaces were deglazed, while the others remained glazed. The specimens in groups 1 to 3 were treated with a fractional CO2 laser for 10 s using 10 mJ of energy, frequency of 200 Hz and powers of 10 W (group 1), 15 W (group 2) and 20 W (group 3). In group 4, a 9.6 % hydrofluoric (HF) acid gel was used for 2 min. A silane coupling agent was applied before bracket bonding, and the SBS was measured with a universal testing machine after 24 h. Deglazing caused significant increase in SBS of laser treated porcelain surfaces (p < 0.05), but had no significant effect on SBS when HF acid was used for etching (p = 0.137). ANOVA revealed no significant difference in SBS values of the study groups when glazed surfaces were compared (p = 0.269). However, a significant between group difference was found among the deglazed specimens (p < 0.001). Tukey test revealed that the bond strengths of 10 W and 15 W laser groups were significantly higher than that of the HF acid group (p < 0.05). Laser conditioning with a fractional CO2 laser can be recommended as a suitable alternative to hydrofluoric acid for deglazed feldspathic porcelain.