Bonding of adhesives to Er:YAG laser-treated dentin

OBJECTIVE: The shear bond strength of adhesives applied to dentin was investigated after irradiation with an erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser. METHODS: Superficial and deep dentin specimens from human molars were treated either with carbide bur or an Er:YAG laser. Two etch and rinse adhesives (Single Bond and XP Bond) and two self-etch adhesives (Prompt L-Pop and Xeno III) were employed to bond the composite. Shear bond strength (SBS) was determined after storage in water for 24 h using a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Failure patterns and modes were analyzed and evaluated using a stereomicroscope. In addition, samples were processed for Scanning Electron Microscopy SEM evaluation. A linear mixed model was used, and pairwise comparisons were made using the Bonferroni test. RESULTS: Results showed significant differences between the levels of dentin treatment (p=.01) in carbide bur-cut dentin and lased dentin, as well as significant interaction effects due to the depth of dentin and the bonding system used. The etch and rinse adhesives bonded less effectively with lased dentin than with carbide bur-cut dentin, while self-etch adhesives bonded equally well with lased and bur-cut superficial dentin but much less effectively with lased deep dentin than with bur-cut deep dentin. SEM revealed a predominantly adhesive failure mode in laser-ablated fractured specimens, while a mixed failure mode was apparent in the bur-cut fractured specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Cavities prepared by laser seem less receptive to adhesive procedures than conventional bur-cut cavities.