Background:The introduction of adhesive dentistry has spurred research into finding solutions for the facilitation of daily dental adhesive workflow to achieve a durable and reliable adhesive junction using newly introduced instruments & techniques in the dental field. Aim of the study: to evaluate the SBS to enamel surfaces treated using conventional acid etching compared to Er,Cr:YSGG laser at two average power outputs as well as in combination with each other.Materials and Methods: 50 human molars were used. The molars were embedded in acrylic blocks with their buccal surfaces facing upwards. Enamel was removed using an Isomet 4000 exposing superficial dentin and a surrounding enamel rim. The specimens were divided into five equal groups with ten samples in each group GI:Acid Etching, GII:3.5 watt Er,Cr:YSGG Laser, GIII:3.5 watt Er,Cr:YSGG + AE Laser, GIV:4.5 watt Er,Cr:YSGG Laser and GV:4.5 watt Er,Cr: YSGG Laser + AE. Universal microhybrid composite microcylinders were then bonded to the enamel rim using Tygon tubes which were then subjected to microshear bond testing using a universal testing machine and the SBS were recorded and tabulated. One-way ANOVA followed by Duncan's Post-hoc tests were used to compare between the different groups. Results: The SBS values showed that values of GIV were similar to those obtained from GII and showed no statistical significance. Both groups, however, showed higher significant values than the remaining groups.
Conclusion:Low average power output Er,Cr: YSGG laser has a beneficial effect in enhancing the bonding of etch and rinse adhesives to enamel.