Purpose: To compare the shear bond strength of stainless steel brackets bonded with two orthodontic adhesive systems, Transbond XT (3M Unitek) and Orthobond (Morelli Dental Products). Materials and Methods: Forty bovine teeth were randomly divided in two groups of 20 each: group 1 (control): Transbond XT primer + Transbond XT Adhesive paste (3M Unitek); group 2: Orthoprimer (Morelli Dental Products) + Orthobond. In each group all teeth were etched with 37% phosphoric acid, and all products were used according to manufacturers instructions. After 30 min, a universal testing machine was used to apply an occlusal shear force directly to the enamel/bracket interface at a speed of 0.5 mm/min. The groups were compared using Student’s t-test. Results: Mean results and standard deviations for the groups were: group 1= 11.22 Mpa (1.68), group 2= 4.88 Mpa (1.18). A significant difference was observed in the bond strengths of the two groups evaluated (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Under the conditions of this study, Orthobond system presented lower shear bond strength when compared to Transbond XT.

Keywords: acid etching, bonding, brackets, orthodontics