Effect of the dentin smeared layer on tensile strength of cemented posts

The tensile strengths for post lengths of 4 and 7 mm were compared in vitro with 3 different cementing media. In one group, the post preparation was rinsed with 5.25% NaOCl and in the other with 17% EDTA followed by 5.25% NaOCl. The EDTA-NaOCl flush had a profound effect when unfilled resin was used to cement the posts. A 4 mm post cemented with resin in the EDTA-NaOCl group was one and one-half times as retentive as a 7 mm post cemented with zinc phosphate and twice as strong as the 7 mm post with polycarboxylate cement. The 7 mm post cemented with the resin after the EDTA-NaOCl rinse was twice as resistant to displacement as the 7 mm post cemented with zinc phosphate and three times stronger than the polycarboxylate cement.