Electrothermal bonding: shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets after two weeks.

Electrothermal bonding is based on acceleration of the setting reaction of a bonding: resin by the selective application of heat to the orthodontic bracket through the passage of a low voltage electric current. The purpose of this study was to compare the shear bond strength of nine resins comprising chemically-cured, light-cured, and glass ionomer types, 14 days after electrothermal and conventional bonding. Mean shear and bond strengths ranged from a low of 7.4 MPa for Sequence (electrothermally bonded) to a high of 15.4 MPa Concise (control). There was no statistically significant difference between the electrothermal and conventional bonding methods. All the resins produced bond strengths adequate for clinical orthodontics at 14 days.