Validity of using bovine teeth as a substitute for human counterparts in adhesive tests.

Shear and tensile bond strengths of 40 human and 40 bovine teeth were compared. Teeth were randomly assigned to group I, which received light-cured composite resin, or group II, which received light-cured resin-reinforced glass ionomer cement. The groups were subdivided for shear and tensile bond strength tests, which were conducted on a universal testing machine installed to a computer transducer. Statistical analysis revealed a highly significant difference between shear and tensile bond strengths of human and bovine enamel; however, regression prediction equations support the use of bovine teeth as a reliable substitute to human counterparts in bonding studies of orthodontic adhesion.