Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the in vivo survival rate of orthodontic brackets bonded with a halogen light (Ortholux™XT) or a plasma arc light (ORTHO Lite™). Methods: Twenty-five patients who required comprehensive orthodontic treatment were included in the study. A split arch technique was used. The brackets for the maxillary left and mandibular right quadrants were bonded using the plasma arc light with a curing time of six seconds and the contra-lateral sides were bonded with the halogen light with a airing time of 20 seconds. The observation period was 1.1 years. The date and quadrant of bracket failures were recorded. Bracket failure interface was evaluated using a modified Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI). Data were analyzed using a chi-square test. Result: No significant difference was found between the survival rates of the two light sources (4.9% bracket failure for both treatment groups). No significant difference was found between bracket failure in the maxillary (5.6%) and mandibular (4.2%) arches or between male (6.9%) and female (3.3%) groups at p < 0.05. The ARI score indicated in both groups showed that the majority of the adhesive (75%) remains on the brackets after debonding. Conclusion: These results indicate that the plasma arc light with a 6 seconds curing time can produce similar bracket survival rate and bracket failure interface as the halogen light that requires 20 seconds of curing time.

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