Effect of laser irradiation on push-out bond strength of dental fiber posts to composite resin core buildups: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The bonding of fiber posts (FPs) to composite resin core buildups is a challenge due to limited penetration of resin to the polymeric matrix of FPs. This review article tries to answer this question: "What are the effects of laser surface treatment of FPs, compared to other surface roughening methods, on push-out bond strength (PBS) of FPs bonded to composite resin core buildups?" METHODS: Searches were run in seven electronic databases with a focus on proper key words. Related titles and abstracts, up to February 2019, were screened, selected, read and subjected to quality assessments. RESULTS: After the initial search, a total of 2635 articles were included in the study. Finally, 6 studies were reliable enough in methodology to be included. All the studies were in vitro with a total of 359 samples. Er:YAG (-0.05, 95% CI: -2.96 to 2.86; P = 0.97) and Er,Cr:YSGG (0.84, 95% CI: -0.12 to 1.81; P = 0.08) treated samples showed no significant overall mean differences in final PBS compared to the control groups. Moreover, pretreatment with Er,Cr:YSGG laser and sandblasting with 50 µm alumina showed an overall mean difference of -0.42 for PBS (95% CI: -1.23 to 0.39) with no significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Laser irradiation of FPs seems to provide no significant increase in PBS values of FPs bonded to composite resin core buildups. Effects of surface treatment of FPs with laser irradiation and sandblasting with 50 µm alumina might be similar in increasing the final PBS, either.