Influence of cement thickness on the bond strength of tooth-colored posts to root dentin after thermal cycling

Abstract

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different resin cement thickness on the push-out bond strength of different posts (CAD/CAM zirconia post (ZR post)) and an individually formed glass fiber reinforced composite post (IPN post) prior to and after thermal cycling (TC). Methods. Post spaces with a height of 9 mm and a diameter of 1.5 mm were drilled in 80 mandibular premolar teeth. Two groups (n = 40) were formed according to the posts used (IPN posts or ZR posts). Then the specimens were randomly assigned into two sub-groups according to the post diameter: (1) 1.5 mm in diameter and (2) 1.2 mm in diameter (n = 20/per group). All posts were luted with a self-adhesive luting agent according to the manufacturer's instructions by using endo tips. Half of the samples (n = 10) were submitted to thermal cycling (5000 cycles, 5–55°C). Thereafter, four 2-mm thick horizontal sections were obtained and subjected to push-out test. Failure modes were assessed quantitatively and morphologically. The data were statistically analyzed with a three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) (p < 0.05). Statistical differences in failure modes were investigated by chi-square tests at a significance level of p < 0.05. Result. Push-out bond strengths were significantly influenced both by the post diameter and thermal cycling. Larger (1.5 mm) diameter post results were statistically higher than 1.2 mm results (p < 0.05). Moreover, TC significantly increased the bond strength results (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between ZR and IPN posts (p = 0.219). Conclusion. The bond strengths of ZR and IPN posts were significantly decreased when the resin cement layer was thick. In addition, thermal cycling drastically influenced bond strengths of the tested post materials. Clinical significance: The fit between tooth-colored endodontic posts and post spaces should be as tight as possible.