Effect of operator experience on the outcome of fiber post cementation with different resin cements

To evaluate the influence of operator experience (dentist vs student) and cementation system (Adper Scotchbond Multi-Purpose [SBMP] + RelyX ARC [1]; Adper Single Bond 2 [SB] + RelyX ARC [2] and RelyX U100 [3]) on the push-out bond strength (BS) of fiber post to radicular dentin.

The roots of 48 extracted human maxillary central incisors were prepared and divided into six groups (n=8), according to combination of the above factors. Glass fiber posts were cemented in accordance with the instructions of the manufacturer of each cementation system. After water storage at 37°C for one week, the roots were cross-sectioned into six 1-mm thick slices and the push-out test was performed (0.5 mm/min). Data were statistically analyzed by two-way analysis of variance and Tukey tests (α=0.05). The BS results obtained by dentist and student for each cementation system were compared using the Student t-test (α=0.05).

Higher BS means were observed for the expert operators, irrespective of the cementation system used (p=0.006). RelyX U100 showed the highest bond strength, but it did not differ from SBMP + RelyX ARC. The Student t-test revealed that only RelyX U100 was not affected by the operator's experience.

Within the limitations of this in vitro study, it can be concluded that the self-adhesive cement RelyX U100 showed the highest bond strength to the root canal in the student's group, and its performance was not affected by the operator's experience.