Three cements used for orthodontic banding of porcelain molars

Objective: Objectives of this study were to (1) compare the mean shear-peel bond strength of orthodontic bands luted to porcelain molar denture teeth with glass ionomer cement (GIC), resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC), or compomer cement; (2) assess the amount of cement remaining on the teeth after debanding; and (3) compare the survival times of the cemented bands subject to mechanical fatigue. Materials and Methods: Sixty banded denture teeth (20 per cement group) were used to determine shear-peel bond strength, and 30 banded denture teeth (10 per cement group) were used to determine fatigue survival time. Shear-peel bond strength was determined with a universal testing machine, and groups were compared by one-way analysis of variance. The amount of cement remaining on the teeth after band removal was scored, and a chi-square test was used to compare groups. Fatigue testing was conducted in a ball mill, and a log-rank test was used to compare differences in survival times. Results: No differences were found in mean shear-peel bond strength among the three groups. The amount of cement remaining on the teeth varied between the compomer and GIC groups (P = .01), with more compomer cement remaining relative to GIC. The mean survival times of bands cemented with compomer or RMGIC were longer than for bands cemented with GIC (P < .001). Conclusion: The findings show that on porcelain teeth the band cements have comparable mean shear-peel bond strengths, but that band retention with RMGIC and compomer cement are superior to GIC when subjected to simulated mechanical fatigue.