ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: We compared the shear bond strength (SBS) of lingual retainers bonded to bovine enamel with three different resins using direct and indirect methods. METHODS: Both ends of pre-fabricated twisted ligature wires were bonded to bovine enamel surfaces using Light-Core, Tetric N-Flow, or Transbond XT. Phosphoric acid-etched enamel surfaces were primed with One-Step prior to bonding with Light-Core or Tetric N-Flow. Transbond XT primer was used prior to bonding with Transbond XT. After 24 hours in water at 37degrees C, we performed SBS tests on the samples. We also assigned adhesive remnant index (ARI) scores after debonding and predicted the clinical performance of materials and bonding techniques from Weibull analyses. RESULTS: Direct bonding produced significantly higher SBS values than indirect bonding for all materials. The SBS for Light-Core was significantly higher than that for Tetric N-Flow, and there was no significant difference between the direct bonding SBS of Transbond XT and that of Light-Core. Weibull analysis indicated Light-Core performed better than other indirectly bonded resins. CONCLUSIONS: When the SBS of a wire retainer is of primary concern, direct bonding methods are superior to indirect bonding methods. Light-Core may perform better than Transbond XT or Tetric N-Flow when bonded indirectly.