Effect of Surface Treatment on the Bond Strength of Fixed Lingual Retainer Wires

Authors

  • Bareq Basheer Khazal Department of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
  • Layth Mohammed Kareem

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/d3000.2026.1493

Keywords:

Orthodontics, Bond Strength, Bonding, Sandblasting

Abstract

Bond failure at the wire–composite interface remains the most frequent mode of fixed lingual retainer breakdown. The influence of wire surface treatment on adhesion across different alloys and intraoral aging conditions is incompletely characterized. This study evaluated the effect of sandblasting, MDP-containing metal primer (Assure Plus), and their combination on the shear bond strength (SBS), pull-out strength, and adhesive remnant index (ARI) of dead-soft stainless-steel (SS) and dead-soft titanium (Ti) retainer wires bonded with Transbond XT composite resin. A total of 480 bovine incisor specimens were allocated across 24 experimental subgroups defined by four surface-treatment protocols (control, sandblasting, primer, combination), two wire types, and three aging conditions (thermocycling, distilled water storage, acid challenge), with n = 10 per subgroup. SBS and pull-out force were measured using a universal testing machine. ARI scores were recorded post-debonding. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, independent t-test, two-way and three-way ANOVA with Tukey HSD post-hoc testing (p < 0.05). Surface treatment significantly affected both outcomes (SBS: F = 8.544, p < 0.001; pull-out: F = 96.684, p < 0.001). The combination protocol produced the highest mean SBS (20.44 ± 8.51 MPa) and pull-out strength (176.77 ± 61.09 N). Titanium wire exceeded stainless steel in SBS (14.96 vs. 13.88 MPa, p < 0.001), whereas stainless steel exceeded titanium in pull-out strength (133.88 vs. 106.97 N, p < 0.001). Aging significantly affected pull-out strength (p < 0.001) but not SBS (p = 0.459). Significant three-way Wire × Treatment × Aging interactions were detected for both outcomes. The combination group recorded the highest ARI scores (mean = 2.8 ± 0.4). Dual mechanical–chemical surface conditioning significantly enhances adhesion of fixed lingual retainer wires to composite resin, with effects that are wire-alloy-dependent and modulated by the aging environment. These findings support the systematic adoption of combined sandblasting and primer application in clinical retention protocols.

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Published

2026-08-14

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Adults & the Elderly

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Bareq Basheer Khazal, Layth Mohammed Kareem

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Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.