Use of an adhesive resin for bonding orthodontic brackets

To date, most successful bonding agents used in orthodontics rely on mechanical retention to both the enamel and bracket base. Chemical adhesion to enamel as seen with glass ionomer cements, and to the silanated base of ceramic brackets have been tried. Recent developments in resin formulation have led to the production of adhesive diacrylate resins capable of forming adhesive bonds to certain metals including stainless steel. The aim of this experiment was to compare such a resin, Panavia EX, with a more conventional 'no-mix' orthodontic bonding resin. Two different base retention mechanisms were used, and the effect of rebonding and differing environmental conditions were also investigated. The results indicated that Panavia EX could produce greater bond strengths than the more conventional bonding resin. Of the two base retention systems tested, braised mesh bases gave consistently greater bond strengths than the cast base, although no base/resin specificity could be detected. Re-using the same brackets showed rebound strengths to be significantly lower than initial bond strength although the results indicated the adhesive resin was still able to bond more effectively to these used brackets than the conventional resin. Environment had the greatest effect on bond strength, such that following environmental exposure there was no significant difference between the two resins. This latter factor, and in particular the more complex bonding technique required for the adhesive resin, means that Panavia EX cannot be recommended for orthodontic use in its present form.