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ABSTRACT

Background: Orthodontic treatment has evolved significantly since ancient attempts to correct dental irregularities, with notable milestones including the advent of light-polymerized adhesives in the 1970s. Contemporary orthodontic practices rely on adhesive resins and direct bonding for bracket attachment, with a primary concern now being the safe removal of brackets and adhesive without damaging the enamel surface.

Aim: To see how four different finishing systems affect the surface roughness of enamel after orthodontic debonding.

Methods: A total of 40 teeth equally divided among four different polishing groups had their surface roughness evaluated before adhering brackets, removing the brackets and polishing the adhesive away as well as after said procedures to compare the different methods using Wilcoxon signed rank test.

Results: 12-blade and common polish showed a significant change in their surface roughness while jet bur and Stainbuster showed no significant change in their surface roughness.

Conclusions: Two of the polishing groups, 12-blade and Fis dental diamond, caused a statistically significant change in the surface roughness. 12-blade caused an overall smoother surface while Fis dental diamond caused a rougher surface. Jet bur and Stainbuster did not alter the surface roughness in any statistically significant way.