Introduction

Bracket debonding and adhesive removal can cause permanent damage to enamel, and represent a challenge for specialists.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and clinical practices of bracket debonding among orthodontists and general dentists.

Material and methods

This cross-sectional observational study used an online survey to assess knowledge and clinical practices of bracket debonding in a sample of 107 orthodontists and 107 general dentists. The instrument was previously validated and assessed for internal consistency and temporal stability. It was sent to professionals’ social networks through links generated by Survey Monkey software, with a response rate of 80.6%. Spearman’s correlation coefficient and chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test were used to evaluate associations, while Tukey’s test was employ for multiple comparisons.

Results

The knowledge level of orthodontists was found to have a similar percentage distribution among gene­ral dentists (p = 0.628). It was determined that orthodontists’ knowledge was related to experience in fixed orthodontics (p = 0.005), while knowledge of general dentists was related to sex (p = 0.038). In terms of practices, in both groups of professionals, differences were found in the choice of type of bracket in terms of possible damage to enamel during debonding (p = 0.002), in principal polishing material used after debonding (p = 0.050), and in complementary polishing material (p = 0.043).

Conclusions

Orthodontists and general dentists were found to have similar knowledge. Orthodontists’ knowledge was inversely correlated to professional experience, with differences between greater and lesser experience; this was similar in age. Knowledge of general dentists varied according to sex. There were differences and similari­ties in clinical practice between both professionals regarding bracket debonding.