“…Thus, the degradation of the collagen fibre network is probably related to the lower bond strength values of the resin cement to root dentine observed in the irradiated teeth (Aggarwal , Rodrigues et al , Yamin et al ), as well as in the greater mismatch of the adhesive interface observed in SEM (Figs and ) (Gonçalves et al , Lieshout & Bots ), since the RelyX U200 resin cement bonding mechanism is promoted by acid monomers that, when interacting with the organic part of the resin cement and with the root dentine, demineralize and penetrate the dentine, creating micromechanical retention and chemical bonding to the hydroxyapatite. It does not depend on hybrid layer formation or presence of tags (Ferracane et al ), but rather of an ionization medium for the chemical reaction to occur (Mushashe et al ), which when altered by irradiation may have led to a lower number of chemical bonds between the cement and root dentine (Yamin et al ). These alterations, added to the stress caused by the endodontic instrumentation with reciprocating instruments and preparation of the post space (Versiani et al , Yamin et al ), may also justify the occurrence of fractures and microfractures in root dentine in irradiated teeth, verified in the SEM analysis (Figs and ), as well as the presence of cohesive failures in the dentine after the push‐out test (Naves et al , Gonçalves et al , Qing et al ).…”