J Oral Maxillofac Surg xx:xxx, 2012 Effect of Different Methods for Decontaminating Tooth Enamel After Contact With Blood Before Bonding Orthodontic Buttons Matheus Melo Pithon, PhD,* Vanessa Oliveira Batista,† and Natalli Cardoso Cafeseiro D’el Rey‡ Purpose: To evaluate the best method for decontaminating tooth enamel contaminated by contact with blood before bonding orthodontic buttons. Materials and Methods: The labial surfaces of 195 bovine incisors initially received prophylaxis, followed by 37% phosphoric acid etching, adhesive application, and light polymerization. After this, the labial surfaces of all teeth were contaminated with blood. The teeth were then randomly divided into 13 groups (n = 15), comprising the control group (treated according to the manufacturer’s recommenda- tions) and 12 experimental groups treated by the following decontamination methods: group 1, no decontamination; group 2, washing with distilled water; group 3, washing with physiologic solution; group 4, jets of air; group 5, gauze; group 6, cotton wool; group 7, distilled water plus jets of air; group 8, distilled water plus gauze; group 9, distilled water plus cotton wool; group 10, physiologic solution plus jets of air; group 11, physiologic solution plus gauze; and group 12, physiologic solution plus cotton wool. Results: No statistical differences were shown between the control group and groups 4, 7, 10, and 11 (P  .05). The lowest bond strength values were shown in group 1, in which no decontamination was performed, and groups 6 and 12, which were decontaminated with cotton wool and physiologic solution plus cotton wool, respectively. Conclusions: The best method of decontaminating enamel contaminated with blood is washing with physiologic solution, followed by drying with jets of air and gauze or drying with jets of air only. © 2012 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons J Oral Maxillofac Surg xx:xxx, 2012 Permanent teeth play an important role in establishing and maintaining the form and function of the dentition, and their presence in the dental arch is fundamental for ensuring balanced, dynamic occlusion, as well as facial esthetics and harmony. Thus, considering their impor- tance in the dental arch, when one is confronted with an impacted permanent tooth, every effort should be made to retain the tooth. 1 Interdisciplinary treatment involving the orthodon- tist and surgeon is required to expose and align im- pacted teeth. 2 However, when the only option for performing traction is to bond the orthodontic acces- sories at the time of surgery, it is difficult to maintain ideal working conditions. 3,4 The materials most used for bonding orthodontic accessories are orthodontic composites, which de- mand completely dry surfaces to obtain clinically ac- ceptable mechanical resistance. 5,6 However, during the act of surgery, clinical conditions often do not allow ideal isolation of the bonding site, and this may cause premature treatment failure, making it neces- sary to perform a new surgical intervention. 7-9 The properties of a composite may be harmed by various intraoral factors, such as the high degree of humidity inside the oral cavity, aging of the tooth, *Professor of Orthodontics, Southwest Bahia State University, UESB, Bahia, Brazil; Diplomate of the Brazilian Board of Orthodon- tics, BBO. †Student, School of Dentistry, Southwest Bahia University, UESB, Bahia, Brazil. ‡Student, School of Dentistry, Southwest Bahia University, Bahia, Brazil. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Pithon: Centro Odontomédico Dr Altamirando da Costa Lima, Av Otávio Santos, 395, Sala 705, Bairro Recreio, CEP 45020-750, Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil; e-mail: matheuspithon@gmail.com © 2012 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 0278-2391/12/xx0x-0$36.00/0 doi:10.1016/j.joms.2012.02.002 1