Fracture strength of ceramic bracket tie wings subjected to force direction

In this study, the effects of bracket designs and force direction on fracture strength of alumina bracket were evaluated. Two differently designed alumina brackets (MISO, HT Co., Ltd., Seoul, Korea) were tested. Each bracket was bonded with orthodontic adhesive to stainless steel cylinder. Compressive force was applied to the tie wing of bracket at 30°, 60°, and 90° to the long axis of the test device. Fracture strengths were assessed by using a universal testing machine (Instron 3366, Instron Co., Ltd., U.S.A.). Fractured bracket surfaces were examined using SEM. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS 9.0 for Windows program. Paired samples t-tests and Kruskal-wallis tests were used at P<0.05. The fracture strength ranged from 150 N with the occlusal wing to 63 N with the cervical wing in bracket A. A significant difference was founded in fracture strength between the bracket designs and force directions. Based on this result, it could be concluded that bracket designs and force direction was important rule to improve fracture strength of ceramic bracket.