Repair Surface Conditioning Measures Affect Enamel and Dentin Bond Strength

Comparative analysis of bonding strength between enamel and overlay of varying thicknesses following an aging test

Abstract

Background/purpose: Overlay restorations can be used clinically as a treatment option to preserve natural dentine. However, whether the residual enamel thickness and overlay thickness affect the adhesion between the restoration and tooth is still unknown. This study was to investigate effects of the overlay thickness and residual enamel thickness on bonding strength.

Materials and methods

Overlays of different thicknesses were prepared with natural teeth which had 2, 4, and 6 mm of occlusal reduction (n = 10). Specimens were subjected to 10,000 cycles in water at 5-55 °C, and finally compressive strength tests were used to evaluate the bonding strength.

Results

All groups showed good bond strength (P > 0.05). The overlay restorations of different thicknesses reduced the preparation amount by 30.3%-7.2% and significantly preserved more of the tooth structure (P < 0.005). Compared to the control group, the overlay restoration increased the marginal fitness by about 0.67-0.88 times. The thermal cycling indicated that the decrease in the maximum bearing stress was due to the aging of the ceramic itself. Therefore, the thickness of the overlay had a greater influence on the compressive strength than the bond strength.

Conclusion

Based on the above this study recommends an overlay thickness of at least 2 mm in clinical practice. The aging test confirmed that adhesion between the overlay and teeth was quite firm and stable. This shows that a stable adhesive effect of the overlay can be used as a treatment option for preserving a greater amount of a tooth's structure.

Dentin contamination during repair procedures: A threat to universal adhesives?

Objective

This study examined the influence of surface contamination during repair procedures with hydrofluoric acid, silane, or ammonium polyfluoride on the bond strength of universal adhesives to dentin using different etching modes before and after thermocycling.

Materials and Methods

Dentin surfaces of human molars were contaminated in different ways (silane, hydrofluoric acid, ammonium polyfluoride, and no pretreatment as control) followed by application of a universal adhesive (etch & rinse or self‐etch mode). After a composite build‐up was placed onto each tooth, sticks for the microtensile bond strength (MTBS) test were sectioned. Half of the sticks were tested after water storage for 24 h, the other half after thermocycling (15,000 cycles, 5/55°C). The MTBS data were analyzed statistically by using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, one‐way analysis of variance, and Tukey HSD test (p < 0.05). The fracture patterns of all specimens were evaluated and analyzed using a χ² test.

Results

Dentin contamination with a multifunctional silane does not influence microtensile bond strength irrespective of aging. Contamination with hydrofluoric acid or an ammonium polyfluoride primer leads to a significantly lower bond strength after aging, irrespective of the etch mode.

Conclusion

Dentin contamination with hydrofluoric acid or ammonium polyfluorides during repair procedures should be avoided, as they appear to decrease the bond strength of universal adhesives.