Objectives: Debonding of chemically bonded ceramic brackets has been mostly led to enamel damages. This studyaimed to evaluate enamel cracks followed by debonding ceramic brackets with mechanical retention.Study Design: Sixty extracted human premolar teeth were randomly divided into two groups. Metallic bracketsand recently available ceramic brackets with mechanical retention were bonded to the teeth in first (MB) and second(CB) group respectively. After a week, the brackets were debonded using a pair of bracket-removing pliersassembled to a testing machine. Optical stereomicroscope and trans-illumination techniques were used to calculatethe cracks and measure their length before bonding and after debonding. Paired t-test, independent t-test andMcNemar's test were used for statistical analysis.Results: Metallic brackets showed higher mechanical bond strength compared to ceramic brackets with mechanicallocks. In both groups, higher numbers of teeth with enamel cracks and a significant increase in the length of enamelcracks were evident subsequent to debonding. Inter-group deference in the number of teeth with cracks and thelength of enamel cracks before or after debonding was not significant.Conclusions:The risk of producing enamel cracks after debonding of ceramic brackets with mechanical retentionis the same as metallic brackets.
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