An In-Vitro Study Comparing Shear-Peel Band Strength of Untreated and Sandblasted Orthodontic Bands Using Conventional Glass Lonomer Cements

Objectives: To compare the shear-peel band strength of untreated (non-sandblasted) and sandblasted orthodontic bands using two conventional glass ionomer cements-Ketac^TM-Cem Radiopaque (3M, ESPE) and GC Gold Label Type-1 (GC, Corporation). Methodology: 50 freshly extracted human mandibular third molars were selected and randomly assigned groups of 25 sample each for specific cements with and without sandblasting. Shear-peel band strength in megapascals were obtained by debanding the cemented bands for each group's specimen using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. Data was analyzed with ANOVA followed by a Tukey test. Results: An increase of 72.4% in the retentive strength was observed with sandblasted orthodontic bands cemented with Ketac^TMCem and about 76.2% of retentive strength with sandblasted one cemented with GC type-1 glass ionomer cement in comparison to untreated bands. Conclusion: Statistically significant differences were noted between non-sandblasted and sandblasted bands groups. The retentive force was increased to almost three quarter folds with sandblasted bands, irrespective of cement used.