Effect of root canal treatments on quartz fiber posts bonding to root dentin

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of irrigants and endodontic sealers on fiber post push-out strength in both fatigue cycling and no-cycling conditions. Fifty single-rooted human teeth received five endodontic treatments. The posts were cemented using a flowable composite and a three-steps adhesive. Five specimens from each group were subjected to 2 x 10(6) cycles of 37.5 N. There were 200 sections obtained for the push-out test. Fatigue cycled groups treated with an eugenol-containing sealer showed the lowest push-out strength (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found among no-cycled groups (p = 0.665). The post-cement interface was found to be weaker than the cement-dentin one. However, fatigue cycles increased the occurrence of cement-dentin failures (p = 0.001). The eugenol-containing sealer reduced the bonding of fiber posts when mechanically cycled, thus the use of a resin-based sealer is advisable.