Effects of Acidic Environments on Dental Structures after Bracket Debonding

Cristina Iosif; Stanca Cuc; Doina Prodan; Marioara Moldovan; Ioan Petean; Mîndra Eugenia Badea; Sorina Sava; Andrada Tonea; Radu Chifor

doi:10.3390/ijms232415583

Effects of Acidic Environments on Dental Structures after Bracket Debonding

Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Dec 9;23(24):15583. doi: 10.3390/ijms232415583.

Authors

Cristina Iosif¹, Stanca Cuc², Doina Prodan², Marioara Moldovan², Ioan Petean³, Mîndra Eugenia Badea⁴, Sorina Sava¹, Andrada Tonea¹, Radu Chifor⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and Dental Materials, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 32 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
² Department of Polymer Composites, Institute of Chemistry "Raluca Ripan", University Babes-Bolyai, 30 Fantanele Street, 400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
³ Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University Babes-Bolyai, 11 Arany János Street, 400028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
⁴ Department of Preventive Dental Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Avram Iancu 31, 400083 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Abstract

Brackets are metallic dental devices that are very often associated with acidic soft drinks such as cola and energy drinks. Acid erosion may affect the bonding between brackets and the enamel surface. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of brackets' adhesion, in the presence of two different commercially available drinks. Sixty human teeth were divided into six groups and bonded with either resin-modified glass ionomer (RMGIC) or resin composite (CR). A shared bond test (SBS) was evaluated by comparing two control groups with four other categories, in which teeth were immersed in either Coca-Cola^TM or Red Bull^TM energy drink. The debonding between the bracket and enamel was evaluated by SEM. The morphological aspect correlated with SBS results showed the best results for the samples exposed to artificial saliva. The best adhesion resistance to the acid erosion environment was observed in the group of teeth immersed in Red Bull^TM and with brackets bonded with RMGIC. The debonded structures were also exposed to Coca-Cola^TM and Red Bull^TM to assess, by atomic force microscopy investigation (AFM), the erosive effect on the enamel surface after debonding and after polishing restoration. The results showed a significant increase in surface roughness due to acid erosion. Polishing restoration of the enamel surface significantly reduced the surface roughness that resulted after debonding, and inhibited acid erosion. The roughness values obtained from polished samples after exposure to Coca-Cola^TM and Red Bull^TM were significantly lower in that case than for the debonded structures. Statistical results evaluating roughness showed that Red Bull^TM has a more erosive effect than Coca-Cola™. This result is supported by the large contact surface that resulted after debonding. In conclusion, the prolonged exposure of the brackets to acidic drinks affected the bonding strength due to erosion propagation into both the enamel-adhesive interface and the bonding layer. The best resistance to acid erosion was obtained by RMGIC.

Keywords: acid environment; dental brackets; enamel surface; shared bond test; surface roughness.

MeSH terms

Acrylic Resins
Composite Resins
Dental Bonding*
Humans
Materials Testing
Orthodontic Brackets*
Resin Cements / chemistry
Surface Properties

Substances

glass ionomer
Acrylic Resins
Composite Resins
Resin Cements

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.