Comparison of in vitro tensile bond strengths of luting cements to metallic and tooth-colored posts.

The aim of this study was to compare the tensile bond strength of tooth-colored ceramic and carbon-fiber post materials as well as titanium and stainless steel post materials luted with three different kinds of luting cements. Disks of alloy post materials were polished with 600-grit SiC paper, air abraded, and ultrasonically cleaned. Ceramic surfaces were pretreated with hydrofluoric acid and silanized. Panavia F, Vitremer, and ProTec Cem cements were bonded to the post specimens and placed in a humidor for 24 hours. Specimens were placed in a jig, and the debonding values were obtained using a universal testing machine. Means and standard deviations were analyzed by two-way ANOVA. Panavia F provided the highest bond strengths for all types of post materials. ProTec Cem bonded more strongly to stainless steel and titanium than to zirconium oxide. Vitremer results were the lowest. Bonds to carbon-fiber post materials were weaker than to metallic post materials, but stronger than to zirconium oxide. In general, higher bond strengths resulted in a higher percentage of cohesive failures.