Effect of acid etching, Er, Cr: YSGG laser conditioning and combining on shear bond strength of orthodontic metal bracket

Abstract

The present study aims to evaluate the shear bond strength and the adhesive remnants index (ARI) of metal brackets. For this purpose, enamel etched with acid, Er; Cr: YSGG (2780 nm) laser, and a combination of them. In this study, 60 human premolars were divided into three groups (acid, Er, Cr: YSGG (2780 nm) laser, and combined etching). Each group contains 20 teeth. For testing of shear bond strength (SBS), the force applied by a universal testing machine. All the samples were examined under a light stereomicroscope to determine the bond failure mode. The results revealed that the laser-acid group had the maximum mean shear bond strength while the acid group had the minimum shear bond strength. The values of mean shear bond strength obtained of 25.90, 16.94, and16.60 MPa for laser-acid, laser, and acid, respectively. Laser and acid groups were negligibly different from each other, while they were significantly different from the lasers–acid group (p < 0.05). Regardless of the preparation of the enamel, bond failure occurred predominantly in the enamel-adhesive site. Er, Cr: YSGG (2780 nm) laser conditioning in combination with acid led to high shear bond strength, but the hazardous effect on tooth should be considered. The bond failure mode was almost similar among all three groups, where there was no adhesive left on the surface of the tooth.