Effect of 5.25% Sodium Hypochlorite on Shear Bond Strength of Orthodontic Brackets Bonded with OBA-MCP

Introduction: Bracket debonding is a frequent issue that clinicians encounter, leading to increased chair time, lost revenue, and material usage. In addition to patient compliance with their diet recommendations, the preparation and conditioning of teeth for bonding significantly influence bond strength and consequently impact orthodontic treatment success and efficiency. Because of OBA-MCP’s (orthodontic bonding adhesive with modified calcium phosphate) decreased shear bond strength (SBS), the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of conditioning with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) before etching in the bonding protocol. Materials and Methods: 90 extracted teeth were divided into 3 groups to be bonded with orthodontic brackets with different bonding protocols: 1) Transbond XT with regular bonding protocol (etch + prime + adhesive); 2) OBA-MCP with regular bonding protocol; and 3) OBA-MCP with NaOCl prior to acid etching in the regular bonding protocol. SBS (in Newtons) were measured using an MTS universal testing machine with a custom jig to apply a vertical force onto the bracket and ARI (adhesive remnant index) scores were recorded for each sample after de-bond to rate the amount of adhesive remaining. Results: The addition of NaOCl to the bonding protocol statistically significantly increased the SBS of OBA-MCP to comparable levels to Transbond XT. The ARI scores showed that when NaOCl was added, more adhesive remained. Conclusion: The addition of NaOCl to the bonding protocol can increase the SBS of adhesives with historically weaker bond strengths. However, the increased amount of adhesive remaining and the increased time spent during bonding must be considered. Further testing can be done in vivo to demonstrate the practicality of this new procedure.