Influence of Phosphoric Acid Etching on Bond Strength for Calcium Silicate-Based Sealers

Abstract

Introduction: This study evaluated the microtensile bond strength of calcium silicate-based sealers and epoxy resin-based sealer, depending on the use of phosphoric acid (PA) etching before immediate resin restoration.

Methods: Exposed dentin surfaces of extracted human third molars were randomly assigned to 3 groups depending on sealer type (AH Plus [Dentsply DeTrey], CeraSeal [Meta Biomed Co.], and EndoSeal MTA [Maruchi]). Half of the samples were treated with PA for 30 seconds, and the other half were cleaned with water. Completely untreated specimens were used as controls. Self-etching adhesive (Clearfil SE Bond, Kuraray) was applied and composite resin (Tetric N-Ceram, Ivoclar Vivadent) was used to create build-ups. After 24 hours, the microtensile bond strength was measured (EZ Test, Shimadzu Co.). The failure mode was determined by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. One-way analysis of variance with the Bonferroni correction was used to analyze the data (P < .05).

Results: The bond strength of the water-washed dentin surfaces in the calcium silicate-based sealer groups did not differ significantly from those of the control surfaces but the PA-pretreated surfaces exhibited relatively low-bond strength. The AH Plus-treated group had lower bond strength than the control group when no PA treatment was applied, but PA treatment restored the bond strength. The adhesive failure mode was most frequently found in the AH Plus group without PA etching.

Conclusions: When a water-soluble calcium silicate-based sealer is used, sufficient bond strength can be obtained by washing with water alone, with no need for PA use.