Introduction: Contemporary orthodontic treatments depend on a strong clinical bond between the orthodontic bracket and the tooth surface to effectively resist the mechanical stresses and thermal variations present in the oral environment. The bond strength between the enamel-adhesive interface will be compromised by the presence of salivary pellicle during bonding. Since bonding is an essential aspect of all orthodontic patients, prior to bonding, enamel conditioning of teeth is required.
Aims & Objectives: The current study is to verify the hypothesis that the use of papain gel and bromelain gel, prior to orthodontic bracket bonding would increase the shear bond strength.
Materials and Methods: 75 extracted premolars were divided in to three groups, Group A – control, Group B - Deproteinization with 10% papain gel, Group C – Deproteinization with 5% bromelain gel.
Results: The results of the shear bond strength test demonstrated that the highest bond strength values were attained in the group B followed by group C, which did not differ statistically from another group (p < 0.05). The control group had the lowest value in which papain and bromelain gel were not used.
Conclusion: enamel deproteinization using 10 % papain gel showed that there is increase in bond strength compared to 5 % bromelain gel and control group (without enamel deproteinizing). But there was no statistically significant increase in bond strength in all the three groups.
