©Operative Dentistry, 2007, 32-2, 173-178 SUMMARYVarious applications of dental lasers on dental materials have been proposed for surface modifications. This study evaluated whether laser etching could be an alternative to hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching. One hundred and ten lithia-based all-ceramic specimens (Empress 2) (R: 4 mm, h: 4 mm) were prepared and divided into five groups (n=22/group). The untreated specimens served as the control, while one of the experimental groups was treated with 9.5% HF for 30 seconds. Three remaining test groups were treated with different laser (Er:YAG laser wavelength:2940 nm, OpusDent) power settings: 300 mJ, 600 mJ and 900 mJ. Ten specimens in each group were luted to the other 10 specimens by a dual-curing cement (Variolink II), and shear-bond strength (SBS) tests were performed (Autograph, crosshead speed: 0.5 mm/minute). The results were statistically analyzed (Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney-U, α α=.05). Mean SBS (MPa) were 31.9±4.0, 41.4±4.3, 42.8±6.2, 29.2±4.5 and 27.4±3.8 for the control and HF, 300, 600 and 900 mJ groups, respectively. SEM evaluations revealed different surface morphologies depending on the laser parameters. The differences between HF acid and 300 mJ, when compared with the control, 600 and 900 mJ groups, were significant (p<.05). The 300 mJ laser group exhibited the highest shear-bond strength values, indicating that laser etching could also be used for surface treatments.

Cervical finish line type has an influence on the marginal adaptation of Y-TZP restorations. Both shoulder and mini-chamfer exhibited the least marginal opening values for zirconia crowns and can be recommended for clinical applications. SUMMARYThe current study evaluated the effect of different cervical finish line designs on the marginal adaptation of a zirconia ceramic. Four different marginal finish lines (c: chamfer, mc: mini-chamfer, fe: feather-edge and s: rounded shoulder) were prepared on phantom incisors. Die models for each preparation group (N=28, n=7 per finish line design group) were made of epoxy resin. Y-TZP (ICE Zirkon) frameworks were manufactured by a copy-milling system (Zirconzahn) using prefabricated blanks and tried on the master models for initial adaptation of the framework; they were then sintered, followed by veneering (Zirconzahn). The finished crowns were cemented with a polycarboxylate cement (Poly F) under 300 g load and ultrasonically cleaned. The specimens were sliced and the marginal gap was measured, considering absolute marginal opening (AMO) and marginal opening (MO) for each coping under a stereomicroscope with image processing software (Lucia). The measurements were statistically analyzed using the Kruskal Wallis, Mann Whitney and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests at a significance level of α α=0.01. Means of AMO measurement (µm) for the feather-edge finish line (87 ± 10) was significantly lower than that of the chamfer (144 ± 14), shoulder (114 ± 16) and mini-chamfer finish line types (114 ± 11) (p<0.01). Means of MO measurements was the lowest for feather-edge finish line (68 ± 9) (p<0.01) and then, in ascending order, shoulder (95 ± 9), mini-chamfer (97 ± 12) and chamfer (128 ± 10). The cervical finish line type

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The replacement of defective amalgam restorations leads to loss of tooth material and weakens the tooth, creating an increased risk of cusp fracture. The repair of such defects is a minimal intervention technique. The current study compared the repair bond strengths of a resin composite to amalgam and an amalgam-dentin complex after various surface conditioning methods. The specimens (N = 50) consisted of sound human canines with cylindrical preparations (diameter: 2.3 mm, depth: 3 mm) with amalgam-dentin complex (N = 30, n = 10/per group) and two groups with amalgam only (N = 20, n = 10/per group). The teeth were embedded in auto-polymerized polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The preparations were filled with non-Gamma 2 amalgam. The enamel was removed to expose dentin. The specimens with the amalgam-dentin complex were randomly assigned to one of the following conditioning methods: Group 1: Silicacoating amalgam, etching dentin, silane application on amalgam, primer/bonding on dentin, opaquer on amalgam, resin composite on both; Group 2: Etching dentin, silicacoating amalgam, silane application on amalgam, primer/bonding on dentin, opaquer on amalgam, resin composite on both and Group 3: Etching dentin, primer/bonding on dentin, opaquer, resin composite. The specimens with only amalgam were assigned to one of the following conditioning methods: Group 4: Silicacoating, silane application, opaquer, resin composite and Group 5: Opaquer, resin composite. For the two control groups, where no dentin was involved (Groups 4 and 5), bonding was achieved only on amalgam and Group 5 had no conditioning. The specimens were kept in water at 37 degrees C for five weeks before bond strength (MPa +/- SD) testing (Universal Testing Machine). After debonding, the failure types were analyzed. The results were significantly affected by the surface conditioning method (ANOVA). Only dentin conditioning (Group 3) showed the highest bond strength (39.9 +/- 14). The unconditioned control group (Group 5) showed the least favorable results (1.4 +/- 0.5). Multiple comparisons (Tukey-Kramer adjustment) showed that the mean values of Group 1 (34.1 +/- 11.4), 3 (39.9 +/- 14) and 4 (35.5 +/- 4) were not significantly different (p > 0.05), but between Groups 2 (22.8 +/- 6.6) and 3 (39.9 +/- 14), significant differences were observed (p = 0.0027). For reliable repair of amalgam restorations, including dentin fractures, the amalgam surface should first be silica coated, then the dentin/enamel should be etched, washed and rinsed thoroughly. Finally, the amalgam should be silanized and primer/bonding applied onto the dentin.