IntroductionOrthodontics is a unique science in dentistry since its workspace sets on the external surface of enamel when using fixed appliances for treatment. Orthodontists or patients may encounter unwanted changes on the enamel surface or structure, such as discoloration, white spots, microcracks, fractures, and abrasions during and after fixed orthodontic treatment (FOT) because of, e.g., diet, oral care, bonding materials and techniques, composites, appliances, debonding, and clean-up procedures (1-3). Bonding materials and composites of FOT are the most prominent factors responsible for enamel color alterations (3,4). Enamel discolorations may occur by direct absorption of food colorants and products arising from the corrosion of the orthodontic appliance into resin tags (5,6). The long-term presence of these residues in the enamel tags during fixed treatment makes the color stability of these materials critical for tooth color (7).A great deal of orthodontic research has concentrated on the assessment of the physical and mechanical performances of the adhesive resins. However, comparatively few studies have investigated the effects of bonding materials used in brackets on enamel color (3,5,8-10) and only 2 clinical studies examined the color alterations of teeth associated with FOT (3,4). According to the findings of those studies, visible enamel color changes may occur with fixed appliances, which would be detected in clinical trials (3,4). Although enamel color was changed after orthodontic treatment, the lightcured composite was associated with lower discoloration rates than chemically cured resins (4). According to Karamouzos et al. (4), orthodontists may choose the use of no-mix and light-cured composites, whose effects on enamel color were the same. However, a recent in vitro study about discoloration of these types of orthodontic composites revealed that unsatisfactory color stability was Background/aim: To determine the color alterations of natural teeth associated with different orthodontic composites used in comprehensive short-term treatment.Materials and methods: Twenty-two patients were treated with fixed appliances and 22 untreated subjects were also evaluated. Lower incisors were bonded with different orthodontic composites: 42 with Grengloo, 41 with Light Bond, 31 with Kurasper F, and 32 with Transbond XT. The color parameters of the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) were measured for each tooth with a spectrophotometer. Color assessment in relation to time, adhesive material, and their interaction was made with 2-way mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) and 1-way ANOVA for the color differences (∆E*). Further analyses were done using Tukey's honestly significant difference tests and paired-samples t-tests.
Results:The color of teeth was affected by treatment. The mean L* and a* values increased, whereas the mean b* values decreased. Total color differences of teeth demonstrated visible color changes clinically after treatment, ranging from 1.12 to 3.34 ∆E units. However, there w...