Does ozone water affect the bond strengths of orthodontic brackets?

BACKGROUND Ozone water can be used to eliminate micro-organisms from the water systems in dental offices. OBJECTIVES To determine if ozone water diminishes the bond strength of orthodontic adhesives. METHODS One hundred and twenty bovine mandibular incisors were randomly divided into four equal groups. The teeth were cleaned with pumice and washed either with tap water (Groups 1 and 3) or with ozone water Groups (2 and 4) before bonding stainless steel orthodontics brackets to the teeth with either a composite resin (Groups 1 and 2; Transbond XT, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, CA, USA) or a resin-modified glass ionomer cement (Groups 3 and 4; Fuji Ortho LC, GC America Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). The manufacturers' recommendations for bonding were followed. All samples were subjected to thermal cycling and the shear bond strengths were determined with a universal testing machine. The Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI) was used to score the amount of resin remaining on the teeth after debonding the brackets. RESULTS There were no statistical differences in the shear bond strengths of the brackets debonded from enamel washed with either ozone water or tap water or between the groups bonded with the two adhesive resins (p = 0.595). The ARIs in Groups 2 and 3 were significantly different from the ARIs in Groups 3 and 4 (p = 0.030). CONCLUSION Ozone water did not alter the bond strength of brackets bonded with composite resins, but it did alter the sites of resin fracture when Fuji Ortho LC was used.