Orthodontic adhesives and bond strength testing

A bracket bond failure is a frustrating occurrence in orthodontic practice. Because the location of the bond failure may indicate the probable cause, it is important to understand the significance of "bond strength" in a clinical application. Bonding in orthodontics can be studied using controlled clinical models or in vitro using simulated clinical models or more fundamental, isolated substrate models, in which bonding of an adhesive to tooth structure or a bracket is studied independently. With numerous adhesives and orthodontic band and bracket materials available as well as other orthodontic substrates besides enamel, such as esthetic ceramic restorations, in vitro models play an important role in characterizing the bonding potential of new systems. This article reviews bonding of orthodontic brackets and bands using various orthodontic adhesives to dental substrates from the perspective of bond strength and its measurement.