Measurement and Comparison of Bracket Transfer Accuracy With Different Indirect Bonding Techniques: An In Vitro Study

Abstract

Objective: To measure and compare bracket transfer accuracy of 3 indirect bonding (IDB) techniques. Material and Methods: Three IDB techniques were studied using polyvinyl siloxane (PVS) putty, vacuum-form (VF), and glue gun (GG). A total of 120 orthodontic stone models were fabricated with die stone, out of which bonding was done on 60 working models and transferred to other 60 patient models. One quadrant was selected for each technique. Digital photography was used to measure the mesiodistal ( X-axis), occlusogingival ( Y-axis), and faciolingual ( Z-axis) position of each bracket on the working and patient models. Results: All the 3 IDB techniques have a very good bracket transfer accuracy. On comparing individual planes, greatest accuracy was seen in GG on X-axis, VF on Y-axis, and VF/PVS on Z-axis. Points A and B were compared for bracket rotation and the mean differences were insignificant indicating that there was no significant amount of rotation in 3 IDB techniques. Conclusions: We can say that all 3 IDB techniques had a very high bracket transfer accuracy. Out of the 3 IDB techniques VF was the most accurate, whereas PVS was the least accurate technique. The selection of technique should be based on tray cost and fabrication time.