Influence of cement thickness and mechanical cycling on the push-out bond strength between posts and root dentin

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of mechanical cycling and cement thickness on the bond strength between fiber posts and root dentin. Forty bovine teeth were sectioned (16 mm) and randomly assigned to four groups (n = 10). Specimens in Groups 1 and 2 were cemented using a thinner cement layer, while specimens in Groups 3 and 4 were cemented using a thicker cement layer. Groups 2 and 4 were submitted to mechanical cycling. Four slices per specimen were produced and submitted to push-out testing. Bond strength values were not affected by mechanical cycling (P = 0.2893), although the thickness of the cement layer did affect bond strengths (P = 0.0059, thinner > thicker). Tukey's test showed that Group 1 (19.27 MPa) had a higher mean bond strength value than Group 3 (12.4 MPa) and Group 4 (13.6 MPa), while Group 2 (15.0 MPa) was statistically similar to all groups. These results indicate that a thicker cement layer negatively affected the push-out bond strength between a fiber post and root dentin, regardless of whether the specimens were subjected to mechanical cycling.