Effect of metal primer and thermocycling on shear bonding strength between the orthodontic bracket and gold alloy

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of metal primers and thermocycling on shear bond strength between the orthodontic bracket and gold alloy. Methods: For this study, 80 specimens made of dental gold alloy were divided into 8 groups based on the combination of metal primers (none, Alloy primer, Metaltite, V-primer) and thermocycling (with and without thermocycling). Shear bond strength testing was performed with a universal testing machine. Bond failure sites were classified by a modified ARI (Adhesive Remnant Index) score. Results: All metal primer treated groups showed a significantly higher shear bond strength than the only sandblasting treated group without thermocycling (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences on shear bond strength in the groups with thermocycling (p > 0.05). Bond failure sites of the metal primer treated group without thermocycling occurred at gold alloy/adhesive interface, whereas there were no differences on bonding failure sites in the groups with thermocycling. Conclusions: These findings suggest that using metal primer on gold alloy enhances the initial bracket bond strength. But, this effect was not shown with thermocycling.