Flexural bond strength of repaired composite resin restorations: influence of surface treatments and aging

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of storage in deionized water at room temperature, for seven days and six months, on the flexural strength of a repaired photocured microhybrid composite resin, using different surface treatments. After each surface treatment, the adhesive interface was analyzed with a surface roughness tester. The flexural strength of samples from each group was determined by three-point bending in a testing machine at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min with a 50 N load cell. Data were analyzed using ANOVA (p=0.0001) and compared with the Newman-Keuls multiple comparison test. It was verified that flexural strength of the unrepaired specimens, after both seven days and six months, was similar (p>0.05) and was in accordance with ISO specifications (minimum of 50 MPa), with values ranging from 52-63 MPa. The authors concluded that the use of an unfilled resin agent is necessary prior to the repair to increase the adhesive strength. Further, the use of a silane agent prior to use of the unfilled resin agent is unnecessary, since it does not increase the adhesive strength.