The purpose of the study was to evaluate the shear bond strength of stainless steel orthodontic brackets directly bonded to extracted human premolar teeth. Fifty teeth were randomly divided into five groups: (1) System One (chemically cured composite resin), (2) Light Bond (light-cured composite resin), (3) Vivaglass Cem (self-curing glass ionomer cement), (4) Fuji Ortho LC (light-cured glass ionomer cement) used after 37% orthophosphoric acid-etching of enamel (5) Fuji Ortho LC without orthophosphoric acid-etching. The brackets were placed on the buccal and lingual surfaces of each tooth, and the specimens were stored in distilled water (24 hours) at 37 degrees C and thermocycled. Teeth were mounted on acrylic block frames, and brackets were debonded using an Instron machine. Shear bond strength values at fracture (Nw) were recorded. ANOVA and Student-Newman-Keuls multiple comparison tests were performed (P < .05). Bonding failure site was recorded by stereomicroscope and analyzed by Chi-square test, selected specimens of each group were observed by scanning electron microscope. System One attained the highest bond strength. Light Bond and Fuji Ortho LC, when using an acid-etching technique, obtained bond strengths that were within the range of estimated bond strength values for successful clinical bonding. Fuji Ortho LC and Vivaglass Cem left an almost clean enamel surface after debracketing.