The plane of fracture and shear bond strength of three composite inlay systems

Composite inlays have been introduced to overcome some of the problems encountered with direct placement techniques. However, some doubt has been expressed about the strength of the bond between the inlay surface and the composite luting cement due to the decreased number of C = C bonds remaining following supercuring of the inlay. This study investigated the bond strength of three composite inlay systems to etched bovine enamel and recorded the plane of fracture of the samples. The bond strength of one system was significantly greater than that of the other groups and was increased by the application of an unfilled resin enamel bonding agent. Unfilled resin application did not significantly alter the other systems tested. In only one of the systems tested was the inlay/composite cement bond found to be the weak link in the bonding procedure. In this group, the application of the manufacturer's specially formulated bond enhancer did not lead to an increase in bond strength.