Endodontic dowel retention with resinous cements.

This study compared the capability of three composite resin cements to sustain a standard endodontic dowel. All of the systems incorporated some form of smear layer removal on the dentin of the endodontic channel. One system that used a methyl ethyl ketone drying agent provided inadequate clinical resistance to dislodgment of 5.4 DaN. A second cementing system that used only smear layer removal resisted loads at 54.7 DaN. The third cementing regimen that included a surface-initiated dentinal adhesive and smear layer removal recorded retention of 77.4 DaN. This study supported the concept that passively cemented dowels with composite resin can be as effective as actively seated dowels.