Background The management of noncavitated caries lesions before sealant therapy is a clinical challenge when the tooth needs sealant application. Sealing noncavitated carious lesions in pits and fissures may lead to failure of the fissure sealant (FS) due to incomplete sealing. Therefore the use of remineralizing agents such as nanoparticles has been suggested. This study investigated the ability of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nano-HA) to remineralize enamel, and their effect on sealant microleakage and shear bond strength (SBS). Methods A total of 192 third molars were demineralized and pretreated with two concentrations of nano-HA with and without sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP), followed by phosphoric acid etching and resin FS application. The study groups were 1) etching + FS, 2) etching + nano-HA 0.15% + FS, 3) etching + nano-HA 0.03% + FS, 4) etching + mixture of nano-HA 0.15% and SHMP 0.05% + FS, 5) etching + mixture of nano-HA 0.03% + SHMP 0.01% + FS. The laboratory tests included microleakage in 50 teeth, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) evaluation in 10 samples, and SBS in 100 samples. Enamel remineralization changes were evaluated in 32 teeth with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). Results Nano-HA enhanced the SBS to remineralized enamel in a large percentage of nanoparticles. Mean SBS in group 2 was significantly greater than in groups 1, 3 and 4 (all P < 0.05). SBS was related to nano-HA concentration: nano-HA 0.15% yielded greater SBS (16.8 ± 2.7) than the 0.03% concentration (14.2 ± 2.1). However, its effect on microleakage was not significant. Nano-HA with or without SHMP led to enhanced enamel remineralization; however, the Calcium (Ca)/Phosphate (P) weight percent values did not differ significantly between the groups ( P > 0.05). SEM images showed that SHMP did not affect sealant penetration into the deeper parts of fissures. FESEM images showed that adding SHMP led to increased nanoparticle dispersal on the tooth surface and less cluster formation. Conclusions The ultraconservative approach (combining nano-HA 0.15% and SHMP) and FS may be considered a minimal intervention in dentistry to seal demineralized enamel pits and fissures.

This study was undertaken to investigate whether using a protein cross-linker, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC), improves bonding stability of fiber posts to root dentin using three resin cements. Sixty human maxillary central incisor roots were randomly divided into six groups after endodontic treatment, according to the cements used with and without EDC pretreatment. In the etch-and-rinse group, 0.3 M EDC aqueous solution was applied on acid-etched root dentin prior to Excite DSC/Variolink II for post cementation. In the self-etch and self-adhesive groups, EDC was used on EDTA-conditioned root space prior to application of ED Primer II/Panavia F2.0 and Clearfil SA, respectively. After microslicing the root dentin, a push-out bond strength (BS) test was performed immediately or after one-year of water storage for each group. Data were analyzed using three-way analysis of variance and Tukey tests (α=0.05). A significant effect of cement type, time, EDC, and Time × Cement and Time × EDC interactions were observed (p≤0.001). EDC pretreatment did not affect immediate bonding of the three cements (p>0.05). Aging significantly reduced the BS in all the groups (p≤0.001), but EDC groups exhibited a higher BS compared with the respective control groups (p<0.001). Despite the significant effect of aging on decreasing the BS of fiber post to radicular dentin, EDC could diminish this effect for the three tested cements.

ObjectivesTo determine the retentive strength and failure mode of undercut composite post, glass fiber post and polyethylene fiber post luted with flowable composite resin and resin-cement.Materials and MethodsCoronal parts of 120 primary canine teeth were sectioned and specimens were treated endodontically. The teeth were randomly divided into 6 groups (n = 20). Prepared root canals received intracanal retainers with a short composite post, undercut composite post, glass fiber post luted with flowable resin or resin-cement, and polyethylene fiber post luted with flowable resin or resin-cement. After crown reconstruction, samples were tested for retentive strength and failure mode. Statistical analysis was done with one-way ANOVA and Tukey tests (p < 0.05).ResultsThere were statistically significant differences between groups (p = 0.001). Mean bond strength in the undercut group was significantly greater than in the short composite post (p = 0.030), and the glass fiber post (p = 0.001) and the polyethylene fiber post group luted with resin-cement (p = 0.008). However, the differences between the undercut group and the groups with flowable composite as the luting agent were not significant (p = 0.068, p = 0.557). Adhesive failure was more frequent in the fiber post groups.ConclusionsAlthough the composite post with undercutting showed the greatest resistance to dislodgement, fiber posts cemented with flowable composite resin provided acceptable results in terms of retentive strength and fracture mode.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of three enamel etching modes - laser-etch, self-etch and acid-etch (5, 10 and 15 s) - on bracket bonding, using a universal adhesive. Methods: Eighty-four maxillary premolars were randomly divided into seven groups (n=12) based on the etching method and the adhesive used for bracket bonding. After water storage and thermocycling, shear bond strength was measured, and adhesive remnant index scores on debonded enamel were determined. Results: There were significant differences between the seven groups regarding bond strength values (p< 0.001). The highest values were observed in universal adhesive with laser etching group, while Transbond XT with acid or laser etching, and universal adhesive used in self-etch mode demonstrated the lowest bond strength. The universal adhesive with the three different etching times presented with statistically similar results, all showing an improvement in bond strength, compared with Scotchbond universal (SBU)/SE. Conclusions: The universal adhesive evaluated in the present study demonstrated statistically similar bond strengths to conventional orthodontic adhesive in self-etch mode. The bond strength can be improved by adding an initial acid etching or laser conditioning step, although enamel damage was observed in some cases.

Chlorhexidine 2% can diminish the loss of bonding effectiveness over time associated to etch-and-rinse and self-etch cements, although it appears not have any effect on self-adhesive cement.