The in vitro effect of pulpal pressure and luting agent on tensile bond strength of complete cast crowns

Abstract

Statement of problem The degree to which pulpal pressure may affect bond strength of complete cast crowns is unknown. Purpose The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of simulated pulpal pressure on the tensile bond strength of complete cast crowns luted with 2 different cements. Material and methods Forty-eight human mandibular canine teeth were cleaned and stored in saline solution. The crowns were prepared by 1 investigator, and standardization of the preparation was accomplished by fixing a dental handpiece in a parallelometer. Uniform grooves, 0.5 mm in depth, were prepared with burs with depth guides. The complete crowns were prepared with a 0.5-mm shoulder margin. Teeth were randomly divided into 2 groups of 24 teeth each (Group I and Group II). In Group I, bonding and tensile test procedures of the teeth were carried out under simulated pulpal pressure (15 cm of saline solution). In Group II, simulated pulpal pressure was not used. The roots were removed 1 mm below the cementoenamel junction to create direct communication with the pulp chamber. The remaining pulpal tissues were carefully removed, and crowns were embedded in acrylic resin. The acrylic resin was then penetrated by a stainless steel tube that connected the pulp chamber and the barrel of a disposable plastic 5-ml syringe. The pulp chambers were filled with physiological saline solution under elevated pressure to locate the area of greatest permeability on the dentinal surface. Crowns were cast (Co-Cr alloy) with a 20-mm bar to allow testing of the bond strength. Each of the 2 groups were further divided into 2 luting cement groups of 12 each (Group I, A and B, and Group II, A and B). Group IA/IIA and Group IB/IIB specimens were luted with a polycarboxylate luting cement (Poly-F Plus) and an adhesive luting cement (Superbond C&B), respectively. After storage in distilled water for 24 hours, all specimens were subjected to a tensile bond test in a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min until failure. The maximum load at fracture (Newton) was recorded. The results were then evaluated with 2-way analysis of variance and Tukey's honestly significant difference tests (α = .05). Results Simulated pulpal pressure increased the bond strength of cast complete crowns cemented with an adhesive luting agent ( P = .01). No significant difference was found in the bond strength of complete cast crowns cemented with polycarboxylate cement with or without pulpal pressure. Superbond C&B adhesive luting agent showed significantly higher bond strength values for Group I (388.9±32.7) and Group II (300.9±66.8), when compared with polycarboxylate cement for Group I (221.3±17.3) and Group II (186.8±38.5) ( P = .001). Conclusion Simulated pulpal pressure had a positive effect on the retention of complete cast crowns when cemented with Superbond C&B adhesive luting agent. Superbond C&B significantly increased the retention of crowns in either the presence or absence of pulpal pressure.