SBS vs Inhouse Recycling Methods-An Invitro Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering

Background:

• Economic constraints necessitate exploring alternatives to replacing debonded orthodontic brackets.
• In-house bracket recycling presents a practical alternative to commercial recycling services.
• Evaluating the efficacy of in-house recycling methods is crucial for orthodontic practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the shear bond strength (SBS) of recycled orthodontic brackets.
• To compare the efficiency of various in-house recycling methods against new brackets.
• To assess the feasibility of in-house bracket reuse in orthodontics.

Main Methods:

• Five in-house recycling techniques were evaluated: Adhesive Grinding, Sandblasting, Thermal Flaming, Buchman, and Acid Bath methods.
• UV/Vis spectrophotometry was used to quantify adhesive remnants on recycled brackets.
• Shear bond strength (SBS) testing was performed using an Instron machine to compare recycled and new brackets.

Main Results:

• The Sandblasting method yielded the highest shear bond strength (19.789 MPa) among the recycled brackets.
• The Adhesive Grinding method resulted in the lowest shear bond strength (13.809 MPa).
• UV absorbance correlated with adhesive remnants, indicating the effectiveness of recycling methods in surface preparation.

Conclusions:

• Sandblasting emerges as a highly effective in-house recycling method for orthodontic brackets.
• The study supports the viability of in-house recycling to reduce costs and material waste.
• Further research can optimize recycling protocols for enhanced bracket performance.