Direct and indirect bonding of wire retainers to bovine enamel using three resin systems: Shear bond strength comparisons

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 37°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.