Evaluation of the effect of dentin surface treatment by air abrasion and Er:YAG laser on the retention of metal crowns luted with glass ionomer cement in teeth with reduced crown height: An in vitro study

Aim and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dentin surface treatment with aluminum oxide air abrasion and Er:YAG laser on tensile bond strength of metal crowns. Metal crowns were luted with conventional glass ionomer cement (GIC) in the teeth with reduced crown height, where preparation geometry did not provide optimal retention form. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight human premolars were prepared to receive metal crowns and were randomly divided into four groups for tensile bond strength testing. Group A: Untreated dentin luted with self-adhesive composite resin cement as positive control; Group B: Untreated dentin luted with GIC as negative control; Group C: Surface treatment with 50 μm aluminum oxide air abrasion and luted with GIC; Group D: Surface treatment with Er:YAG laser (λ =2.94 mm) with a total energy 84.88 J/cm2 of (60 mJ/pulse, 10 Hz, 60 pulses, and 100 μs pulse width) and luted with GIC. The cemented specimens were thermocycled and later subjected to axial load in a universal testing machine at 0.5 mm/min cross-head speed for tensile testing. Scanning electron microscopic evaluation of dentin surface treatment and cement-dentin interface was also done in representative specimens. Results: One-way analysis of variance showed statistically significant difference among/within the groups (P < 0.001). Tukey's post hoc test presented significant increased tensile bond strength of Er:YAG laser group. Air abrasion group showed no significant increase in tensile bond strength values (P = 0.033). Conclusion: Dentin surface treatment with Er:YAG laser significantly improved the tensile bond strength of luting GIC compared to air-abraded and untreated dentin.