12-Month Self-Ligating Bracket Failure Rate with a Self-Etching Primer

Objective: To compare the clinical performance of a self-etching primer (SEP) with a conventional two-step etch and primer method (CM). Materials and Methods: Study subjects were 39 patients with a mean age of 15 years 7 months. Six hundred and eighty-eight brackets were bonded by one operator with a split-mouth design, using Transbond Plus Self-Etching Primer or a conventional two-step etch and primer (Transbond XT). The survival rate of the brackets was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier analysis. Bracket survival distributions with respect to bonding procedure, dental arch, type of tooth (incisor, canine, and premolar) and patients' gender were compared using the log-rank test. Bond failure interface was determined using the Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI). Results: The bond failure rates of SEP and CM were 4.7% and 1.7%, respectively. A significant difference was found between the bonding procedures using the log-rank test (P < .05). Furthermore, canine and premolar teeth displayed a lower survival rate than incisor teeth (P < .05). Survival rates did not show significant differences between the upper and lower dental arches and patients' gender (P > .05). No significant difference was observed for ARI scores (P > .05). Conclusion: These findings indicate that the SEP (Transbond Plus) can be effectively used to bond orthodontic brackets.