Editor's Summary, Q & A, Reviewer's Critique: Effect of light-cured filled sealant on the bond failure rate of orthodontic brackets in vivo

Abstract

Introduction The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a highly filled light-cured sealant (HFLCS) on the bond failure rate of metal brackets bonded with a conventional composite adhesive in vivo for 18 months. Methods In 30 consecutively treated patients, the teeth were divided into 2 groups based on the universal numbering system (1-32). Metal brackets were bonded to all odd-numbered teeth (n = 272) with a conventional composite resin; they served as the controls. Metal brackets were also bonded to all even-numbered teeth with the same composite resin but with a different sealant: HFLCS (Pro Seal, Reliance Orthodontic Products, Itasca, Ill). A total of 544 teeth were bonded and followed for 18 months. The difference between the failure rates (expressed as percentages) was compared with the McNemar test. Results In the control teeth, the bond failure rate was 3.7%, and mean failure time was 149 days. The teeth pretreated with Pro Seal had a bond failure rate of 2.9% and a mean bracket failure time of 127 days. Comparison of the bond failure rates did not show statistical significance (P = 0.81). Conclusions HFLCS did not adversely affect the failure rate and time of metal brackets when it was used instead of conventional sealant in a composite resin bonding system. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a highly filled light-cured sealant (HFLCS) on the bond failure rate of metal brackets bonded with a conventional composite adhesive in vivo for 18 months. In 30 consecutively treated patients, the teeth were divided into 2 groups based on the universal numbering system (1-32). Metal brackets were bonded to all odd-numbered teeth (n = 272) with a conventional composite resin; they served as the controls. Metal brackets were also bonded to all even-numbered teeth with the same composite resin but with a different sealant: HFLCS (Pro Seal, Reliance Orthodontic Products, Itasca, Ill). A total of 544 teeth were bonded and followed for 18 months. The difference between the failure rates (expressed as percentages) was compared with the McNemar test. In the control teeth, the bond failure rate was 3.7%, and mean failure time was 149 days. The teeth pretreated with Pro Seal had a bond failure rate of 2.9% and a mean bracket failure time of 127 days. Comparison of the bond failure rates did not show statistical significance (P = 0.81). HFLCS did not adversely affect the failure rate and time of metal brackets when it was used instead of conventional sealant in a composite resin bonding system.