The Effects of different recycling methods on the shear bond strength of ceramic brackets

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different recycling (also known as reconditioning) methods on the shear bond strength (SBS) of ceramic brackets.Methods: Fifty mechanically retentive polycrystalline ceramic brackets and 50 mandibular bicuspids were used in this study. The teeth were divided into 5 groups and bonded with new (group 1) or reconditioned brackets. The reconditioning methods were sandblasting (group 2), sandblasting + silane (group 3), hydrofluoric (HF) acid + silane (group 4), and Er:YAG laser (group 5). The SBS of brackets were assessed and the adhesive remnant index (ARI) scores were determined. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA, Tukey, and chi-square tests at P<0.05.Results: The highest SBS value was observed in brackets treated with sandblasting + silane (19.26 ± 3.30 MPa), which was comparable to both the control (19.01 ± 3.12 MPa) and sandblasting (16.98 ± 3.13 MPa) groups. Treatment with hydrofluoric acid + silane (9.46 ± 3.43 MPa) and Er:YAG laser (9.71 ± 1.23 MPa) yielded significantly lower SBS values than the other study groups (P<0.05). The highest overall ARI scores were observed in the HF acid + silane and Er:YAG laser group, indicating more adhesive remnants on the enamel surface.Conclusions: Sandblasting, with or without silane treatment, effectively restored the bond strength of ceramic brackets to almost initial values. Although recycling with hydrofluoric acid + silane or Er:YAG laser produced lower bond strengths, they still surpassed the clinical threshold of 7.8 MPa, making them viable options for bracket reconditioning in clinical settings.

Keywords

• bond strength
• ceramic
• erbium laser
• orthodontic brackets
• recycling
• silane