The effect of different methods of bracket removal on the amount of residual adhesive.

The amount of residual adhesive following three different methods of bracket removal was examined. The effects of tooth position, bracket base type, and composite mix were also examined. It was found that there was a nonsignificant trend for more composite to remain on upper anterior teeth and a highly statistically significant difference between a paste/paste and paste/liquid composite mix. Bracket base type showed no significant difference. One method of bracket removal resulted in significantly less composite remaining than the other two methods.