Effect of ultrashort laser microstructuring of enamel and dentin surfaces on bond strengths in orthodontics and conservative dentistry.

Abstract

[EN]The improvement of adhesion properties in orthodontics and conservative dentistry still remains an open issue. In this work, dentin and enamel surfaces have been totally conditioned by means of ultrashort pulsed laser microstructuring (wavelength: 795 nm, pulse duration: 120 fs, repetition rate: 1 kHz, maximum mean power: 1 W) in order to assess the procedure as an alternative to conventional techniques (acid etching and Er:YAG processing) for clinical practice. Molar dentin surfaces and premolar specimens were used for the study. Adhesive bond strengths were evaluated by means of microtensile bond strength (μ TBS) and shear bond strength (SBS) tests of a total etch adhesive system to microstructured dentin and enamel, respectively. The results were related to scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations of the processed and failure surfaces. Bonding strengths were found to be comparable to other conditioning techniques and sometimes even higher. This makes femtosecond laser conditioning of dental tissues a suitable procedure for clinical practice of orthodontics and conservative dentistry.