ABSTRACT

Objective: This study aimed to assess the effect of various surface treatments on the push-out bond strength of custom-made PolyEtherEtherketone(PEEK) and prefabricated glass fiber posts after being treated with different surface treatment materials.

Materials and methods: Sixty single rooted upper central incisors that were recently extracted were selected. All root canals were endodontically treated and post spaces prepared then divided into two equal groups based on posts type. Prefabricated glass fiber posts (n=30) were used in the first group(G), while milled PolyEtherEtherketone posts (n=30) were used in the second group(P). Based on surface treatment, each post group was randomly divided into three equal subgroups: subgroup(SB): sandblasting with 50µm Aluminum-oxide particles, subgroup(SE): etching with 98% Sulfuric acid and subgroup(HE+SC): etching using 9.5% hydrofluoric acid followed by silane coating. All post surfaces were examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). All posts were bonded with self-adhesive resin cement according to manufacturer instructions. All samples were sectioned into; coronal, middle and apical sections with a thickness of 2 mm each. Then, push-out test was carried out on the samples using a universal testing machine. Finally, the data were statistically analyzed.

Results: There was a statistically significant difference (P=0.002) with the mean push-out value higher in glass fiber than PEEK post (4.18±1.72MPa vs. 2.65±2.12MPa, respectively).

Conclusion: The glass fiber post’s bond strength was higher than that of the PEEK posts. PEEK posts that were sandblasted with aluminum-oxide particles showed a noticeable improvement in bonding and would be a good choice for PEEK post surface treatment