Effect of Sonic Application of Universal Adhesive Systems on Bond Strength of Fiber Posts to Root Canal

Purpose: This study evaluated the push-out bond strength (BS) of fiber posts in root canals and the nanoleakage (NL) pattern at the bonding interface when universal adhesives were applied in etch-and-rinse mode to root dentin using an oscillating sonic device. Materials and Methods: Fifty-four roots of human premolars were endodontically prepared and divided into 6 experimental groups according to the main factors: adhesive system/resin cement (Ambar Universal/AllCem, Scotchbond Universal/RelyX ARC, Prime&Bond Elect/Enforce) and application mode (vigorous manual or sonic). Fiber posts were cemented and roots were transversally sectioned into six 1-mm-thick serial slices, which were subjected to BS testing (n = 7 per group) at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min, and the rest (n = 2 per group) were subjected to NL analysis using scanning electron microscopy after slice immersion in silver nitrate. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni's post-hoc test (α = 5%). Results: Sonic application significantly increased BS only on the coronal third when Ambar Universal was used. When Scotchbond Universal was used, higher BS was observed when the adhesive was manually applied than when the sonic device was used. For Prime&Bond Elect, no significant difference in BS was noted when the application methods were compared. Manual application also produced lower NL values than did sonic application when Ambar Universal was used, while no significant difference in NL was noted using the other adhesive systems. Conclusion: Sonic application did not improve the bond strength of posts in root canals in comparison to vigorous, manual application. Keywords: fiber posts, root dentin, push-out bond strength, silver nitrate