Role of root canal sealers and dentin surface pretreatment on pull-out strength of customized resilient ceramic posts-and-cores

This study evaluated the role of different root canal sealers and dentin conditioning protocols on Polymer-Infiltrated Ceramic Network (PICN) post-and-core pull-out strength Eighty single-rooted endodontically treated teeth were divided into 2 main groups based on sealer type (resin-based or calcium silicate-based). Further, 4 subgroups were assigned based on different irrigation protocols: no conditioning (control; ), 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), 10% tannic acid, and 10% ascorbic acid. Milled PICN post-and-core specimens were air particle abraded and luted with self-adhesive resin cement. Pull-out strength was evaluated with a universal testing machine. Statistical analysis was conducted using two-way ANOVA α ≤ 0.05. Dentin conditioning showed enhancement in pull-out strength of PICN post-and cores (P˂0.001). Different sealers showed different pull-out strengths in all groups, with the superiority of calcium silicate-based over resin-based sealers. The mean pull-out strength of conditioned dentin groups ranged from 166.20 ± 14.74 to 233.50 ± 16.55 N, the highest values associated with ascorbic acid and tannic acid, while EDTA groups were the lowest among conditioned dentin groups. All were significantly higher than the control: 132.00 ± 14.75 N for resin-based sealer and 141.60 ± 19.96 for silica-based sealer. Dentin surface conditioning enhances the pull-out strength of customized PICN post-and-core. Ascorbic and tannic acids with 10% concentrations are preferred over EDTA surface conditioning. Different sealers didn’t show a great difference in the pull-out strength; however, calcium silicate-based sealers exhibited superior results to resin-based sealers. It is crucial to understand the role of dentin conditioning in the retention of customizedPICN post-and-core. Although all non-eugenol sealers are preferred for adhesive root canalposts, silica-based sealers might be preferred to resin-based sealers.