Evaluation of Bond Strength of Three Glass Fiber Post-systems Cemented to Large Root Canals.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the push-out bond strength and the failure mode of single adjustable posts (SPLENDOR SAP), anatomical posts (AP), or computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) posts cemented to flared root canal dentin with self-adhesive dual-cure resin cement. Thirty single-rooted premolars received endodontic treatment with gutta-percha and a calcium hydroxide-based endodontic cement. After 24 hours, the canal spaces were enlarged with burs. The tooth specimens were divided equally into three groups (n=10), according to the glass fiber post (GFP) system: AP-prefabricated GFP (Reforpost #2, Angelus) was relined with composite resin (Filtek Z350 XT, 3M ESPE); SPLENDOR SAP-GFP was used with a glass fiber sleeve to adjust the adaptation (Splendor SAP, Angelus); and CAD-CAM-a resin pattern was obtained and scanned to produce a CAD-CAM GFP (Fiber CAD Lab, Angelus) milled using a subtractive technique. The three GFP systems were cemented with self-adhesive resin cement (Rely X U200, 3M ESPE). The roots were fixed to an acrylic resin plate used to section them into specimens of cervical, middle, and apical thirds. Then, the slices were attached to a universal testing machine to perform the push- out test at a speed of 0.5 mm/min and a load of 50 Kgf. The posttest specimens were examined under a stereoscopic microscope to evaluate the failure mode. The bond strength variable was analyzed using a generalized linear model, following a split-plot design. Failure mode analysis was performed using Fisher exact test. The significance level adopted was 5%. There was no significant difference among the GFP systems or among the thirds, in terms of bond strength (p>0.05), nor was there any significant association between the systems and the failure mode (p>0.05). Most specimens presented mixed or adhesive failure between resin cement and dentin. It was concluded that the bond strength to flared root dentin was not influenced by the GFP system or the root third.

Influence of Application Modes on Increasing Bond Strength Longevity of Self-etching and Universal Adhesive Systems to Enamel.

The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of application mode on the short-term microshear bond strength longevity of self-etching and universal adhesive systems to enamel, the failure mode, and the resulting enamel surface micromorphology. Ninety enamel surfaces were obtained from sound third molars, planed, and randomly assigned to nine groups, according to the application mode and the adhesive system (n=10). There were three primer application modes: according to the manufacturer's recommended application time (control), using double the application time recommended for the primer and selective enamel etching. The adhesive systems used were: Clearfil SE Bond (Kuraray), FL-Bond II (SHOFU), and Futurabond U (Voco). At least two resin-bonded composite cylinders (Grandioso Light Flow, Voco) were placed on each enamel surface, and then evaluated for microshear bond strength at 24 hours and 180 days of storage in solution body fluid (SBF) at pH 7.4. Failure modes were evaluated with a stereoscopic microscope at 20× magnification. A micromorphological analysis of the enamel surface was performed under a scanning electron microscope at 5000× magnification before and after the treatments. Mixed models for repeated measures over time showed significant interaction among application modes, adhesive systems, and time periods (p=0.0331). The bond strength of FL-Bond II adhesive to enamel observed after performing selective enamel etching was significantly higher than that observed after applying the control treatment (p=0.0010) at both 24 hours and 180 days. However, no significant difference was observed between the application of this same adhesive at double the time recommended by the manufacturer and the other two application modes (p>0.05). There was also no significant difference in the microshear bond strength for the enamel treatments applied using Clearfil SE Bond and Futurabond U (p>0.05). A significant reduction in bond strength to enamel was observed at the 180-day storage time for all the adhesive systems when selective enamel etching was performed (p<0.0001). No significant association was observed between the adhesive system failure mode and the enamel treatments (p=0.1402 and p=0.7590 for 24 hours and 180 days, respectively). The most prevalent failure was the adhesive type.

Influence of Phosphoric, Glycolic, and Ferulic Acids on Dentin Enzymatic Degradation, Ultimate Tensile Strength, and Permeability.

This study evaluated dentin enzymatic degradation based on the total matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity of demineralized dentin matrices before and after exposure to phosphoric acid (PA), glycolic acid (GA), and ferulic acid (FA). The release of hydroxyproline (HP), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and dentin permeability (DP) were also evaluated. Dentin collagen matrices were assessed according to total MMP activity before and after treatment with the tested acids (n=10) for 15 seconds and compared with the control (GM6001 inhibitor). Dentin beams were analyzed for HP release and UTS after the treatments. Dentin discs were tested for DP at a pressure of 5 psi before and after treatment with the acids (n=10). The FA group had a lower percentage of enzymatic inhibition than the PA and GA groups (p<0.0001). No significant difference in UTS was found among the acids (p=0.6824), but HP release was significantly higher in the FA group than in the PA and GA groups (p<0.0001). No significant difference in DP was found for the acids (p=0.0535). GA led to less activation of MMPs and less release of HP, whereas the UTS and DP for GA were like those found for PA. In contrast, FA promoted greater enzymatic activity and greater release of HP, while having similar results to GA and PA regarding mechanical properties.

Enamel and Dentin Etching with Glycolic, Ferulic, and Phosphoric Acids: Demineralization Pattern, Surface Microhardness, and Bond Strength Stability.

This study evaluated the etching pattern, surface microhardness, and bond strength for enamel and dentin submitted to treatment with phosphoric, glycolic, and ferulic acids. Enamel and dentin blocks were treated with phosphoric, glycolic, and ferulic acid to evaluate the surface and adhesive interface by scanning electron microscopy (2000×). Surface microhardness (Knoop) was evaluated before and after etching, and microtensile bond strength was evaluated after application of a two-step adhesive system (Adper Single Bond 2, 3M ESPE) at 24 hours and 12 months storage time points. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test showed a decrease in the microhardness values for both substrates after application of each acid (p<0.0001). The reduction percentage was significantly higher for enamel treated with phosphoric acid (59.9%) and glycolic acid (65.1%) than for ferulic acid (16.5%) (p<0.0001), and higher for dentin that received phosphoric acid (38.3%) versus glycolic acid (27.8%) and ferulic acid (21.9%) (p<0.0001). Phosphoric and glycolic acids led to homogeneous enamel demineralization, and promoted the opening of dentinal tubules, whereas ferulic acid led to enamel surface demineralization and partially removed the smear layer. The adhesive-enamel interface showed micromechanical embedding of the adhesive in the interprismatic spaces when phosphoric and glycolic acids were applied. Ferulic acid showed no tag formation. Microtensile bond strength at both time points, and for both substrates, was lower with ferulic acid (p=0.0003/E; p=0.0011/D; Kruskal Wallis and Dunn). The bond strength for enamel and dentin decreased when using phosphoric and glycolic acids at the 12-month time evaluation (p<0.05). Glycolic acid showed an etching pattern and microhardness similar to that of phosphoric acid. Ferulic acid was not effective in etching the enamel or dentin, and it did not provide satisfactory bond strength to dental substrates.

Push-out Bond Strength of Two Fiber Posts in Composite Resin Using Different Types of Silanization.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different surface treatments and thermocycling (TC) on the push-out bond strength of two brands of glass fiber posts (GFPs) to composite resin. METHODS: White Post DC (WP) (FGM Dental Group International, Joinville, Santa Catarina, BR) and Exacto (EC) (Angelus, Clinical Research Dental, Londrina, PR, Brazil). GFPs were cleaned with 70% alcohol and divided into five groups, according to the surface treatment (n=15): control (C), without treatment; prehydrolyzed silane (S-pre) (Prosil, FGM Dental Group International); 37% phosphoric acid + prehydrolyzed silane (AcS-pre); Scotchbond Universal Adhesive System (AdU), 3M Oral Care; two-bottle silane (S2B) (Dentsply Sirona Inc). The composite resin was inserted around the posts by using a split matrix. The samples were cut into 1-mm slices. Half of the samples were subjected to the push-out test immediately, and the other half underwent TC before the test. After failure analysis, the data were submitted to three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) (α=0.05). RESULTS: EC achieved higher bond strength than WP, regardless of TC (p<0.05). Regarding WP, surface treatments (p<0.001) and TC (p<0.001) influenced bonding strength. As for EC without TC, the highest bond strength (p<0.05) was found for C, then AcSpre, S-pre, AdU, and S2B. Application of TC resulted in a statistically higher bond strength values for the EC AcS-pre group (p<0.05), followed by S2B, S-pre, C, and AdU. The WP failures were predominantly cohesive, similar to the EC AdU and EC S2B groups. The other EC groups showed mostly mixed failures. CONCLUSIONS: Surface treatment and TC affected the bond strength to composite resin, depending on which post was used. It is important for dentists to understand the effects of different types of silanization on their chosen post.

Impact of Resin Composite Viscosity and Fill-technique on Internal Gap in Class I Restorations: An OCT Evaluation.

The aim of this in vitro study was to quantitatively evaluate the internal gap of resin composites of high-and low-viscosity used in single- and incremental-fill techniques in Class I cavities exposed to thermal cycling (TC) using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Cavities of 4-mm depth and 3-mm diameter were prepared in 36 third molars randomly distributed into four groups, according to viscosity of restorative resin-based composite (high or low viscosity, all from 3M Oral Care) and technique application (bulk or incremental fill) used (n=9): RC, high-viscosity, incremental-fill, resin-based composite (Filtek Z350 XT Universal Restorative); BF, high-viscosity, bulk-fill, resin-based composite (Filtek One Bulk Fill); LRC, lowviscosity, incremental-fill, resin-based composite (Filtek Z350 XT Flowable Universal Restorative); and LBF, low-viscosity, bulk-fill, resin-based composite (Filtek Flowable Restorative). Single Bond Universal Adhesive system (3M Oral Care) was used in all the experimental groups. The incremental-fill technique was used for RC and LRC groups (2-mm increments), and a single-layer technique was used for BF and LBF groups, as recommended by the manufacturer. The internal adaptation of the resin at all dentin walls was evaluated before and after TC (5000 cycles between 5°C and 55°C) using OCT images. Five images of each restored tooth were obtained. Images were analyzed using ImageJ software that measured the entire length of the gaps at the dentin-restoration interface. The length of gaps (µm) was analyzed using two-way repeated measures ANOVA and the Tukey tests (α=0.05). There was a significant interaction between material types and TC (p=0.006), and a significant difference among all material types (p<0.0001), before and after TC (p<0.0001). Increased internal gaps at the dentin-restoration interface were noticed after TC for all groups. RC presented the lowest value of internal gap before and after TC, while LBF showed the highest values of internal gap after TC. In conclusion, TC negatively affected the integrity of internal gap, whereas high-viscosity, incremental-fill, resin-based composite presented better performance in terms of internal adaptation than low-viscosity, bulk-fill materials in Class I cavities.

Saliva with reduced calcium and phosphorous concentrations: Effect on erosion dental lesions.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether saliva formulations with reduced calcium (Ca) and inorganic phosphorous (Pi) concentration would affect dental erosion caused by hydrochloric acid (HCl). METHODS: Enamel and root dentine bovine slabs were embedded, polished, and measured for surface Knoop microhardness (SMH). After reference areas were created, specimens were exposed to HCl solution (0.01 M; pH 2; 120 s) and immersed in artificial salivas (6 hr) containing three different Ca/Pi concentrations (n = 15), which simulate serum conditions of normo-, mild, or severe hypocalcemia. The control group was immersed in Ca/Pi-free saliva. The study protocol was carried out 2×/day for 5 days. Surface loss of enamel and root dentine was assessed using an optical profilometer, and SMH was remeasured for enamel. RESULTS: One-way analysis of variance (p < .001) and Tukey's test showed that enamel loss in groups subjected to artificial salivas that simulated mild or severe hypocalcemia did not differ from that resembling normocalcemia. %SMH was lower when saliva was mildly and normally concentrated in Ca/Pi (p < .001). Root dentine loss was higher in saliva simulating severe hypocalcemia than in those referring to mild, hypo-, and normocalcemia. CONCLUSIONS: Depending on the dental substrate, salivary formulations resembling serum hypocalcemia affected surface loss due to erosion and rehardening thereof.