Shearing bond strength of endodontic sealers to gutta-percha

Strength of the bond of root canal sealers to gutta-percha seems to be an important property for maintaining the integrity of the apical seal. In the few studies published, different models and assessment methods were used. The purpose of our study was to adapt an effective and easily reproducible model and to test it on nine contemporary commercially available endodontic sealers. Gutta-percha disks with a diameter of 10 mm and thickness of 2 mm were prepared by warming gutta-percha cones and then fixed with plaster in 1-inch phenolic rings. Five-millimeter long sections of polyethylene tubing, filled with freshly mixed sealer, were placed on the gutta-percha and tested for shearing bond strength after setting. A custom-made holder was attached to the rings and placed in an Instron machine, which was activated at a cross-arm speed of 0.5 mm per minute. The bond strength ranged from 0 MPa to 6.4 MPa. The sealers were ranked, and those that did not differ statistically in their bond strength were grouped together. This model provides a simple and reproducible means for measuring the in vitro bond strength of endodontic sealers.