The development of orthodontics has improved thanks to the introduction of adhesives which are physically and chemically akin to tooth enamel and brackets. These materials often fall short of the required durability standards. The objective was to evaluate the real strength of the adhesives and to introduce a proprietary device, generating multiple vectors of strength between dental brackets and the surface of enamel. 11 types of adhesive materials have been studied. 990 applications have been made using removed teeth, followed by a randomised creation of 11 groups containing 90 samples each. The threshold values of the strength needed to break the brackets off were determined in torsional, shear and tension strength tests. A comparison between tensometric and planimetric methods was made by means based on ARI index. Resistance was highest for torsional stress, weaker for shear stress and the weakest for tension stress. A correlation was found between tensometric results. The study attempted to systematise the methodology of direct tests.

Department of Orthodontics Clinic of Dental Medicine Medical Faculty Olomouc Czech Republic

Institute of Physiotherapy University of Opole Biotechnology Laboratory Labiot Cieszyn Poland