Objective: The objective of this study was to compare enamel demineralization around stainless steel brackets, metal flash-free brackets, and ceramic flash-free brackets.
Materials and Methods: Forty natural teeth were divided in a random manner into four groups of equal size. The first group, denoted as the control group, comprised non-bonded teeth. The second group included stainless steel brackets bonded with a conventional light-curing adhesive. The third group consisted of adhesive-coated metal flash-free brackets bonded to teeth. Finally, the fourth group consisted of adhesive-coated ceramic flash-free brackets that were bonded to teeth. After bonding, demineralization at the gingival side of the brackets was measured using a diagnodent pen. Teeth in all groups were subsequently subjected to demineralization to develop artificial carious lesions. A second measure for demineralization was recorded for each group. The demineralization values of the four groups were subjected to statistical analysis using a one-way ANOVA test, followed by pot-Hoc LSD analysis between the two groups.
Results: Before the process of demineralization, there were insignificant differences among the four groups (P = 0.784). Following the process of demineralization, significant differences became apparent among the four groups, with group II demonstrating a higher value in comparison to groups III and IV (P< 0.001).