Influence of C-factor on the Microtensile Bond Strength Between Fiber Posts and Resin Luting Agents

Purpose: To propose an experimental model for assessing the interfacial strength between post and luting agent under clinically relevant conditions of post space diameter and cement layer thickness. Materials and Methods: DentinPost (Komet, DP) and GC (GC) glass fiber posts were tested. A sample of 22 posts per type was randomly subdivided into two equal groups based on the material for cementation: Panavia F 2.0 (Kuraray, PF) and MultiCore Flow (Ivoclar Vivadent, MF). Within each group, 2 subgroups were defined depending on the procedure for specimen preparation. In subgroup A (NO-M), the resin cement was incrementally stratified around a post centered within a plastic matrix until the latter was filled. In subgroup B (M), first a mold of resin cement with an artificial post space was created. Then, using the same cement, the post was luted into the dowel space. Microtensile beams were cut and loaded to measure post/cement interfacial strengths. For statistical analysis of the data, Kruskall-Wallis ANOVA was applied, followed by Dunn's Multiple Range test (p 0.05). Results: Bond strengths in MPa were (median; 25th-75th percentile): DP/PF/M 4.5; 3.1-7.4; DP/PF/NO-M 9.2; 5.8- 12.4; DP/MF/M 14.2; 10.2-20-6; DP/MF/NO-M 16.5; 13.1-21.7; GC/PF/M 7.6; 3.3-11.7; GC/PF/NO-M 7.8; 5.1-11-9; GC/MF/M 16.7; 14.3-3-22; GC/MF/NO-M 20.4; 15.6-24. Irrespective of post type and of specimen preparation procedure, with or without mold, significantly higher bond strengths were measured for MF. On both post types, both cements achieved similar interfacial strengths regardless of the C-factor. Conclusion: The influence of a clinically relevant C-factor on the adhesion of resin cements to glass fiber posts was not statistically significant. Keywords: C-factor, fiber post, resin cement, microtensile