Comparison of the accuracy of virtual and direct bonding of orthodontic accessories.

INTRODUCTION

Conventional direct and indirect bonding techniques fail to obtain the ideal bracket position.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the accuracy of virtual and conventional direct bonding of orthodontic accessories.

METHODS

A single virtual configuration (dental mannequin with Class I malocclusion) served as basis for generating the reference model (treated virtually) and the intervention models (10 digital models and 10 solid models, obtained by means of prototyping). A total of 560 teeth were then equally distributed between a group of orthodontists (Group I, direct bonding; and Group II, virtual bonding), working in two different time intervals. The individual positions of the accessories were measured after three-dimensional superimposition with customized software. The Student's-t test for paired samples, and Chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis, both at the level of significance of 5%.

RESULTS

In comparison of the errors in raw values, there were significant differences only in the vertical (p< 0.001) and horizontal dimensions (p< 0.001). Considering the groups of ranges by clinical limits of the deviations, these differences were significant in the three dimensions, vertical (p< 0.001), horizontal (p= 0.044) and angular (p= 0.044).

CONCLUSION

Virtual bonding made it possible to obtain more precise/accurate positioning of the orthodontic accessories. The potential accuracy of this method brings new perspectives to refining the indirect bonding protocols.