Saliva contamination effect on shear bond strength of ceramic brackets with an orthodontic hydrophilic resin

Abstract Introduction Some fator, such as the presence of saliva, are able to influence the adhesion of the bracket to the tooth enamel during the orthodontic bonding procedure and may cause the adhesive failure. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the shear strength of orthodontic ceramic brackets bonded with Transbond XT and Transbond Plus Color Change to bovine teeth, under saliva contamination and the adhesive failure mode. Material and method Sixty bovine permanent incisors were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=15) according to bonding material and saliva contamination: Group 1 (G1) bonded with Transbond XT with no saliva contamination; Group 2 (G2) bonded with Self Etching Primer and Transbond Plus Color Change with no saliva contamination; Group 3 (G3) bonded with Transbond XT with saliva contamination and Group 4 (G4) bonded with Transbond Plus Color Change with saliva contamination. Result The Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test (p<0,05) was used and showed that G1 differed statistically from G2 and G3. There was no statistical difference between the other groups. The adhesive remnant index (ARI) ranged between 2 and 3 in G1 and between 0 and 1 score in the other groups. Conclusion Saliva contamination decreases the shear bond strength of ceramic brackets bonded with conventional Transbond XT hydrophobic resin. On the other hand, the Transbond Plus Color Change hydrophilic resin associated with a Self Etching Primer, under saliva contamination, provide a sufficient shear bond strength, suitable for their clinical use.