IN-VITRO EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT POLISHING METHODS AFTER BRACKET DEBONDING

This study evaluated the performance of two different polishing methods on the enamel surface roughness of teeth following adhesive removal with a tungsten carbide bur. To this end, we examined 45 premolar teeth, randomly divided into three groups (C, SLD, and BG) with '5 teeth per group. To experiment, we attached stainless steel brackets to all three groups and later removed the brackets with debonding pliers. Afterwards, the composite resin remnant on the enamel surface was removed with a composite finishing tungsten carbide bur in all three groups. Group C did not receive any polishing after adhesive removal. Group SLD and BG underwent a polishing process using Sof-Lex discs (SLD) and Brownie-Greenie (BG), respectively. Subsequently, the areal enamel surface roughness parameters were analysed using the Keyence VK-X100 laser scanning microscope (LSM) at 10x, 20x, and 50x magnification. The results demonstrate significantly less surface roughness following both polishing methods compared to the control group. Furthermore, group SLD showe d significantly less surface roughness compared to BG (p<0.01).