The recementation of orthodontic bands using different cements

A clinical study on band failure rate was carried out on 5949 bands cemented to the teeth of 293 patients drawn from three orthodontic practices. The failure rate ranged from a minimum of 7% in a sample from a practice where bands were cemented with Durelon cement (Group 2) to a maximum of 19% in a sample from a practice where bands were cemented with oxyphosphate cements (Group 3). Comparison between the results of the two controlled prospective studies from one practice (Groups 1 and 2) indicated that the use of a commercially available polycarboxylate cement (Durelon) resulted in a lower failure rate than that experienced with an experimental formulation of polycarboxylate cement. The teeth on which cemented bands failed most frequently were the maxillary central incisors. Comparison of the band failure rates between different practices (Groups 2, 3 and 4) showed that patients in Groups 3 and 4 experienced a higher band failure rate than patients in Group 2, due possibly to different types of bands, cements, and cementing procedures of the different operators.