Does mechanical locking-base ceramic brackets reduce cracks at debonding?

Objectives: Debonding of chemically bonded ceramic brackets has been mostly led to enamel damages. This study aimed 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 brackets and 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 pliers assembled to a testing machine. Optical stereomicroscope and trans-illumination techniques were used to calculate the cracks and measure their length before bond…