The objective of this in vitro study was to assess and compare the shear bond strength of conventional and modified orthodontic tubes bonded to the surface of dry and saliva-contaminated enamel. The sample consisted of 40 human teeth, which were randomly divided into four groups according to attachment base and presence or absence of saliva contamination as follows: Group CB, conventional orthodontic tubes without salivary contamination; Group CB-S, conventional orthodontic tubes with salivary contamination; Groups BM, orthodontic tubes modified by welding a metal mesh to their base without salivary contamination; and Group BM-S, modified orthodontic tubes with salivary contamination. Shear bond strength test was performed in a universal testing machine and analysis of the adhesive remnant index (ARI) by optical microscopy. Two-way ANOVA was used, followed by Tukey’s test at a statistical significance level of 5%. The ARI results were analysed descriptively. There was statistically significant difference between the groups regarding the shear bond strength values, with conventional tubes presenting significantly higher values (P < 0.05). In addition, the presence of salivary contamination interfered negatively with the behaviour of conventional tubes only (P < 0.05). Shear bond strength was not improved by increasing the area of the orthodontic tubes. Moreover, salivary contamination influenced negatively the SBS values, but only when conventional tubes were used.