Evaluation of Restorative Techniques for Vertically Fractured Roots

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Adhesive Dentistry
• Biomaterials Engineering

Background:

• Vertically fractured roots pose a clinical challenge, impacting restorative treatment success.
• Optimizing adhesive systems and surface treatments is crucial for enhancing bond durability and preventing microleakage in root fracture repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of combining specific adhesive materials and surface treatments on the bonding durability and microleakage of vertically fractured roots.
• To identify optimal treatment protocols for improving the longevity of root fracture restorations.

Main Methods:

• Bovine incisors were used to prepare adhesive models for five experimental groups, including a control (SB-G) and four experimental groups (EC, EC-G, EC-P, EC-E) with varying adhesive resins and surface treatments.
• Surface treatments included 10% citric acid with 3% ferric chloride (10-3 solution), 40% phosphate solution, and 18% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).
• Following 50,000 load cycles, microleakage, microtensile bond strength (μTBS), and failure modes were assessed.

Main Results:

• The EC-G group exhibited significantly higher microtensile bond strength (μTBS) compared to all other groups.
• Microleakage was significantly lower in the EC, EC-G, and EC-E groups compared to the EC-P group.
• Mixed (cohesive and adhesive) and adhesive failures were the predominant failure modes across all experimental groups.

Conclusions:

• The combination of the 10-3 solution with a self-cure bonding agent and core composite resin (EC-G group) demonstrated the highest bonding durability and lowest microleakage.
• This specific treatment protocol (EC-G) shows promise as an effective alternative for current adhesive and tooth surface treatments in managing vertically fractured roots.