Glass Fiber Post/Composite Core Systems Bonded to Human Dentin: Analysis of Tensile Load vs Calculated Tensile Strength of Various Systems Using Pull-out Tests

Purpose: Pull-out testing was used to determine the tensile load (TL) and tensile strength (TS) of five different fiber post systems bonded to human intracanal dentin. Materials and Methods: 120 caries-free premolars, canines, and maxillary central incisors were divided into 5 different groups for 5 fiber post systems (n = 24): 1. RelyX Fiber Post 3D (RX3D); 2. RelyX Fiber Post (RX); 3. Luxa- Post (LP); 4. FibreKleer 4X Tapered Post (FK); 5. ParaPost Taper Lux (PP). The teeth were prepared and posts inserted. Core buildups were performed with the corresponding product's resin composite. All specimens were stored in water for 24 h at 37°C. TL and TS were tested on half of the specimens (n = 12/group). The remaining samples were thermocycled (10,000 x 5°C/55°C) before testing. TL was directly measured and TS was calculated using the bonding surface. Failure modes were identified using a stereomicroscope. Data were analyzed using twoway ANOVA with the post-hoc Scheffé test, as well as the chi-squared test (p 0.05). Results: FK and LP resulted in the lowest mean TL but were not significantly different from those of RX and RX3D. The highest mean TL and TS were observed for PP. Nevertheless, PP fell within the same statistical subset as RX3D and RX. Thermocycling showed no impact on the results. RX3D predominantly showed debonding of the post plus core buildup from the tooth; all other systems mainly demonstrated detachment of the core from the posts. Conclusion: PP, RX, and RX3D together with an adhesive core buildup yielded the highest bond strength to human dentin. Parameters TL and TS showed the same tendencies and statistical evidence. Keywords: fiber post, retention load, retention strength