An in vitro comparison of tensile bond strengths of resin- and methacrylate-based sealers to dentin, gutta-percha, and resin-based coated core surfaces

Purpose: To evaluate the adhesion of AH26 and Epiphany sealers to gutta-percha/Resilon surfaces and dentine in the presence or absence of the smear layer.
Methods: Dentine, gutta-percha, and Resilon surfaces were filled with different combinations of AH26 and RealSeal sealers in eight groups: Group 1- Smear (-) dentine, filled with dentin bonding agent and AH26 sealer; Group 2- Smear (+) dentine, AH26; Group 3- Smear (-) dentine, AH26; Group 4- Smear (-) dentine, RealSeal sealer. In the remaning groups, gutta-percha and Resilon pellets were used as experimental surfaces to test the sealer adhesion. The samples were attached to a universal testing machine and pulled at 1 mm/s to determine the tensile bond strengths.
Results: Statistical analyses revealed that the smear free dentine filled with AH26 had a significantly higher bond strength than those of the other groups (p< 0.05). The presence of the smear layer and dentine bonding agent significantly reduced the adhesion of AH26 to dentine (p< 0.05). The bonding of AH26 to Resilon and gutta-percha was significantly better than those of the RealSeal sealer (p< 0.05).
Conclusion: The tensile bond strength of AH26 sealer to gutta-percha/Resilon and dentine was superior to that of RealSeal sealer.