Bonded retainers--clinical reliability.

Bonded retainers have become a very important retention appliance in orthodontic treatment. They are popular because they are considered reliable, independent of patient cooperation, highly efficient, easy to fabricate, and almost invisible. Of these traits, reliability is the subject of this clinical study. A total of 549 patients with retainers were analyzed with regard to wearing time, extension of the retainer, mean time between failures, operator, and age of patient. The average frequency of breakage or loss was 0.55 per retainer per year. This frequency was dependent primarily on the operator who bonded the retainer and on the extent of the retainer. If the upper canines were involved, reliability was lower. The majority of failures occurred during the first 3 to 6 months. The study showed that bonded retainers represent a highly efficient and reliable retention appliance suited to long-term use.