Effect of timing for core preparation, luting cement type and root level on adhesion of fiber posts to intraradicular dentin

Abstract

This study assessed the effect of timing of core preparation and luting cement on adhesion of fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) posts on different levels of intraradicular dentin when cemented with either conventional dual-polymerized or self-adhesive resin cement. Single-rooted human teeth (N = 80) were endodontically treated and randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 40) according to resin cement: (a) Conventional dual resin cement (Variolink II, V) or (b) Self-adhesive resin cement (RelyX U200, R). They were further divided into two subgroups according to timing of core preparation (n = 20): (a) immediate (i) or (b) delayed (d). FRC posts (Cytec Blanco) were cemented and the roots were sliced into discs at the coronal, middle, and apical levels. Push-out tests were then performed in a Universal Testing Machine (1 mm/min). Data (MPa) were analyzed using three-way ANOVA and Tukey’s tests considering the factors ‘core preparation time’, ‘luting cement’, and ‘root level’ (α = 0.05). Type of luting cement (p < 0.001), time of core preparation (p < 0.001), and root level (p < 0.001) significantly affected the bond strength results. R cement was more significantly affected by core preparation time (Ri: 2.91 ± 1.1; Rd: 4.83 ± 1.68) compared to V cement (Vi: 2.92 ± 1.63; Vd: 2.65 ± 1.6) (p < 0.05). Coronal region demonstrated significantly higher bond strength values than those of middle and apical third in all groups (coronal: 4 ± 1.9; middle: 3.1 ± 1.4; apical: 2.4 ± 1.1) (p < 0.05). Adhesive failure between cement and dentin was the most frequent (64%) followed by adhesive failure between cement and post (18%). Delayed core preparation can improve bond strength of FRC posts to intraradicular dentin when cemented with self-adhesive cement compared to conventional dual-polymerized resin cement.