Enamel surface roughness analysis following bracket debonding using five different residual adhesive removal system: An in vitro study

• Author Details:   
• Rashmi Singh ^*
• Atul Kumar Singh
• Omkar Singh Yadav
• Abrin Ragland
• Poonam Ghodke

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Objective: This in vitro study aimed to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the enamel surface after removal of residual orthodontic adhesive following bracket debonding. Surface evaluation was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while polishing time and surface roughness were assessed to compare the efficacy of four different adhesive removal techniques.
Materials and Methods: Fifty-one extracted human premolars were randomly allocated into five experimental groups (n = 10 each), with one tooth serving as a control. The adhesive removal methods included: G1 – Tungsten Carbide Burs, G2 – Enhance Polishing Points, G3 – DU10CA-Ortho Disc, G4 – Fiberglass Bur and G5 – Sof-Lex Pop-On Disc. After initial bondinand complete adhesive removal, surface roughness (Ra2) was measured. One sample per group underwent SEM analysis. Time required for adhesive removal and polishing was recorded. Polishing times were analyzed using ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test, while Ra2 values were compared using ANCOVA.
Results: Group 5 showed the lowest mean surface roughness (0.43 μm), followed by Groups 3 (0.71 μm), 4 (1.06 μm), 2 (1.21 μm), and 1 (2.1 μm), with statistically significant differences among groups (P ≤ 0.001). The fiberglass bur required significantly more time for adhesive removal than the other methods (P ≤ 0.001). SEM analysis revealed that all methods caused varying degrees of enamel surface damage.
Conclusion: All methods effectively removed adhesive remnants. DU10CA-Ortho and Sof-Lex discs provided smoother enamel surfaces with comparable time efficiency.