Effect on martens hardness and pushout bond strength of fiber post to canal dentin final irrigated with fotoenticine, chitosan, and ozone

•The use of OW as a final irrigant displayed less negative impact on the dentin microhardness.•The highest MH was demonstrated by NaOCl and 17% EDTA-treated group.•The highest PBS was exhibited by NaOCl and 17% EDTA-treated specimens. To estimate the effect of contemporary final root canal irrigants (Ozonated water (OW), Chitosan, and Fotoenticine (FTC) on the bond scores of glass fiber post (GFP) and Martens hardness (MH) of root dentin. Sixty extracted human premolars having a single straight canal that ends in a closed apex were included. Specimens were de-crowned till the cementoenamel junction preserving 12 mm of root length and were mounted vertically. Canal therapy was performed using a crown-down approach. Obturation was performed followed by post-space preparation. Samples were allocated into 4 groups based on chemical irrigations and photosensitizers used(n = 15). Group 1 (5.25% NaOCl + 17% EDTA), group 2 (5.25% NaOCl + FTC), group 3 (5.25% NaOCl + Chitosan), group 4 (5.25% NaOCl + OW). The ultra microhardness tester was put under a load of 5 mN at a speed of 1.5 mN/s for 1 s to assess the MH. The fiber post was luted with dual-cure cement and slices of 1 mm were prepared from each third of the tooth. PBS and failure mode analysis were performed using a universal testing machine (UTM) and stereomicroscope respectively. ANOVA and Tukey multiple comparisons t-tests for assessment of PBS and MH p > 0.05 Group 1 (5.25% NaOCl + 17% EDTA) exhibited the highest MH (0.19 ± 0.04 GPa). Whereas, group 2 (5.25% NaOCl + FTC) displayed the lowest MH (0.011 ± 0.14 GPa). The highest PBS was exhibited by the coronal third of group 1 (5.25% NaOCl + 17% EDTA) (7.11 ± 0.81 MPa). The apical section of group 3 specimens (5.25% NaOCl + Chitosan) (2.33 ± 0.26 MPa) unveiled the lowest PBS. Intergroup comparison analysis revealed that group 2 and group 3 displayed comparable outcomes of PBS. Group 1 and Group 4 also demonstrated no significant difference in the bond scores in all three sections. OW as a final irrigant can be used as an alternative to EDTA as it improves the bond strength with minimum impact on marten hardness