New generation bulk-fill resin composites: Effects on mechanical strength and fracture reliability.

PURPOSE: To investigate the mechanical performance and fracture reliability of new generation, bulk-fill resin composites of different viscosities. METHODS: Forty sound maxillary premolars were prepared into Class I cavities comprised of 5 mm width × 5 mm length × 5 mm thickness. The teeth were randomly allocated into four groups (n = 10) according to the restorative material: Negative control - without restoration; Positive control - conventional resin composite (Opallis; FGM) was applied using increments of up to 2.0 mm-thick; Bulk-Regular - bulk-fill resin composite of regular viscosity (Opus Bulk Fill; FGM) was applied using a single increment of 5 mm-thick; and Bulk-Flow - a low-viscosity bulk-fill resin composite (Opus Bulk Fill Flow; FGM) was applied as the first increment with ∼3.5 mm-thick, followed by two final increments of Opallis (∼1.5 mm-thick). The teeth were stored at 37 °C, for 24 h, and submitted to a mechanical testing machine (DL500; EMIC) under a compressive loading. Work of fracture (Wf) was also obtained. All data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey (α = 5%). Reliability of restorations and probability of failure were analyzed by Weibull analysis. RESULTS: The non-restored teeth showed the weakest behavior of the study. All the restored groups demonstrated similar mechanical properties to each other (p ≥ 0.242). The positive and negative controls failed exclusively within the cohesiveness of enamel/dentin, whereas the bulk-fill-based restorations showed a mixture of cohesive and mixed failures. The restored groups showed an overall similar reliability, although the Bulk-Regular group demonstrated greater characteristic strength than the positive control. CONCLUSION: The novel bulk-fill resin composites of low and regular viscosities show promising application in the restoration of Class I cavities in premolars, demonstrating similar mechanical performance and reliability as compared with restorations prepared using conventional resin composites. From the bulk-fill materials, the version with regular viscosity presented the greatest compliant behavior of the study.

Application of resin adhesive on the surface of a silanized glass fiber-reinforced post and its effect on the retention to root dentin.

INTRODUCTION: In this study, the effect of different post surface treatments on the retention of glass fiber-reinforced post to root dentin was evaluated. The hypotheses tested were (1) post silanization would not improve its retention and (2) the application of silane plus resin adhesive on the post would enhance its retention. METHODS: After root canal preparation, 4 different protocols (n = 5) of post surface treatment were evaluated, combined with or without silane (Silane coupling agent) and adhesive (Scotchbond Multipurpose): silane + adhesive (S/A), only silane, only adhesive, or no treatment (control). RelyX ARC was used for post cementation. Next, specimens were subjected to push-out bond strength testing, and data were analyzed by two-way analysis of variance and Tukey test (P < .05). RESULTS: S/A showed higher bond strength than other protocols in the middle and coronal root regions (P < .001). Only silane did not enhance post retention compared with control (P > .05). The root dentin region influenced bond strength results only in the S/A group. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas silanization as the only post surface treatment did not improve retention, the combination of silane plus resin adhesive enhanced post retention to dentin in the middle and coronal root regions.

Influence of surface moisture condition on the bond strength to dentin of etch-and-rinse adhesive systems

AIM: To evaluate the immediate microtensile bond strength (µTBS) of three two-step etch-and-rinse adhesive systems applied under different dentin surface moisture conditions. METHODS: Class V cavities were prepared in seventy-two bovine incisors. Each tooth was randomly allocated into three groups, according to the adhesive system used: Single Bond 2 (SB), Prime & Bond 2.1 (PB) and XP Bond (XPB). Each group was divided in three subgroups, according to the dentin moisture condition: over-wet, moist and dry (n=8). For the moist subgroups the adhesive was applied as to the manufacturer's instructions; for the over-wet ones, without drying the cavity after the rinsing procedure; and for the dry subgroups, drying the surface for 20 s. The teeth were restored with Filtek Z-250 and stored in distilled water (24 h); next, each restoration was sectioned in beam-shaped specimens which were stored for 24 h at 37 °C. Each specimen was submitted to µTBS test (EMIC), and data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey test (p<0.05). RESULTS: There was a statistically significant interaction between the adhesive system type and the dentin surface moisture condition (p=0.003). SB and XPB presented higher bond strength in the moist dentin condition, and PB showed high µTBS values in the dry substrate. CONCLUSIONS: The moisture condition influenced the bond strength between the adhesives and dentin. SB performed better in the moist condition, whereas PB and XPB showed satisfactory bond strength in the moist and in the dry substrates. The over-wet dentin condition only impaired bond strength to SB and XPB...