ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a self-etching primer on the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets and on the failure pattern of bracket-adhesive interfaces in dry or wet condition. Brackets were bonded to extracted human teeth according to one of three experimental protocols. In the Group P, teeth were etched with 37% phosphoric acid. After the Transbond XT Primer was applied onto the etched surfaces, the brackets were bonded with Transbond XT(3M, Unitek, Monrovia, Calif) and light cured for 40 seconds. In the Group SD, a self-etching primer(3M, Unitek, Monrovia, Calif) was placed on the enamel for 3 seconds and gently evaporated with air, as suggested by the manufacturer. The brackets were then bonded with Transbond XT as in the Group P. In the Group SW, artificial saliva was applied to the enamel surface for 10 seconds to allow complete hydration of the surface before application self-etching primer. The brackets were then bonded following the procedures of Group SD. Each group was divided into 2 sub-groups(0.5h, 24h) according to debonding time. Shear bond strengths were measured by Instron universal testing machine. After debonding, the teeth and brackets were examined under scanning electron microscope and assessed with the adhesive remnant index. The result obtained were summarized as follows ; 1. The shear bond strengths were high enough to use clinically in all testing groups, but the shear bond strengths of Group SD and SW were significantly lower than Group P(p 0.05). 4. There was a greater frequency of ARI score of 0 and 1 with the Group P. On the other hand, there was a higher frequency of ARI scores of 2 and 3 with Group SD and Group SW(p < 0.05).