In this paper, a review of the test methods for bond strength of glass fiber posts to dentin is presented. The main variables that influence the bond strength tests are related to substrate, to specimen properties, specimen preparation and test methodology. The impact of these variables on the test outcome is analyzed. The search was performed on studies published between 2007 and 2015. Most of the tests carried out, in the literature, were the push-out (75%), pull-out (13%) and microtensile (11,9%) tests, showing an inversion compared to the results found in studies published between 2005 and 2010, when push-out test was used in a proportion of 2% and microtensile test in a proportion of 67%. The push-out test emerged as a practical tool for evaluating the interfacial shear strength between fiber post and root canal walls.Fiber posts have been widely used in endodontically treated teeth in the last years. One of the advantages of using fiber posts is the use of adhesive bonding technique, which requires minimal intervention on the dentin surface. In addition, fiber posts have an elastic modulus similar to dentin, resulting in more homogeneous stress distribution along the root canal system. Thus, fiber post minimizes the risk of root fractures and lead to more favorable failure mode than metallic posts.The durability of restored endodontically treated teeth depends on many basic factors [1] including the amount of remaining coronal structure, restorative procedures and the materials used [2,3], which appear to be the key factors affecting the longevity of the tooth. Although low percentage failure rates and satisfactory clinical performance have been reported when fiber posts were used [4, 5, 6], pulpless teeth are still considered more vulnerable and susceptible to fracture in comparison to vital teeth [7].The clinical success of a recovery depends on the quality and durability of the bonding joint between the fiber post and the tooth structure. Therefore, it is fundamental that the test method used to evaluate the bond strength provides accurate information on the materials performance [8]. Reviews published in the decades of 1990 and 2010 [9-13] showed a relationship between the conditions for adhesion of post to the substrate, including cement application mode, post pretreatment and sample storage conditions, but only few discussed the variables that influence the bond strength tests. Downloaded by [Florida Atlantic University] at 16:14 06 June 2016 A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 3The bond strength tests might be influenced by many variables which include: the specimen design, the size of the adhesion surface area, the loading configuration and the type of materials [2,[16][17][18]. The high modulus of elasticity of a bonded composite, the thickness of the adhesive layer between the dentin of the root canal and the post, the format of post and the canal, among others, are variables that influence the stress distribution along the bonded interface [3,18,19] and consequently the outcome of the bond streng...
