Introduction: Material biodegradation that occurs in the mouth may interfere in the bonding strength between the bracket and the enamel, causing lower bond strength values in vivo, in comparison with in vitro studies. Objective: To develop a prototype to measure bracket debonding force in vivo and to evaluate, in vitro, the bond strength obtained with the prototype.Methods: A original plier (3M Unitek) was modified by adding one strain gauge directly connected to its claw. An electronic circuit performed the reading of the strain gauge, and the software installed in a computer recorded the values of the bracket debonding force, in kgf. Orthodontic brackets were bonded to the facial surface of 30 bovine incisors with adhesive materials. In Group 1 (n = 15), debonding was carried out with the prototype, while tensile bond strength testing was performed in Group 2 (n = 15). A universal testing machine was used for the second group. The adhesive remnant index (ARI) was recorded.Results: According to Student’s t test (α = 0.05), Group 1 (2.96 MPa) and Group 2 (3.08 MPa) were not significantly different. ARI score of 3 was predominant in the two groups.Conclusion: The prototype proved to be reliable for obtaining in vivo bond strength values for orthodontic brackets.

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An instrumented bicycle pedal was built and calibrated. The pedal has good linearity and sensibility, comparable to other instruments in the literature. This study aimed to perform accurate calibration of a tri-axial pedal, including forces applied, deformations, nonlinearities, hysteresis and standard error for each axis. Calibration was based on Hull and Davis method, which is based on the application of known loads on the pedal in order to create a calibration matrix.

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This paper describes a new technique to compensate the eye movements in dark adaptometry tests. The instrument is controlled by a personal computer and can be used in the investigation of several retinal diseases. The stimulus is delivered to the eye through the modified optics of a fundus camera using two light-channels: one for the stimulus presentation, and other for retinal visualization. Infrared images of the fundus are displayed on a video monitor and the stimulus position can be compensated in real time. These modifications provide the advantages of continuous monitoring of fixation and visualization of the retinal regions, thereby increasing the accuracy of dark adaptometry in patients with fixation problems.