Effect of Aging and Different Surface Treatments on Repair Bond Strength of Hybrid Resin Composites

Abstract

Background: With the trend for minimally invasive dentistry and the rapid evolution of composite resin materials, repair of defective composite resin restorations is a popular choice rather than replacement of the restoration. The durability of the bond between the old and repaired composite restoration is important for a successful outcome. Objective: To evaluate the immediate and delayed shear bond strength of two types of repaired hybrid resin composites using different chemical and mechanical surface treatments. Methods: Two types of hybrid resin composites, micro-hybrid resin composite and nanohybrid resin composite, were used to prepare 288 pre-polymerized resin composite specimens. After polymerization, repair was done after 24 hours and 6 months. Each hybrid resin composite group was divided into 3 groups according to surface treatment used to repair the substrate: group 1: no surface treatment, group 2: treated by medium abrasive stone, and group 3: treated by fine abrasive stone. Each group was further subdivided into 3 subgroups according to different agents used for repair: group 1: Silane, group 2: Universal adhesive, and group 3: Silane + adhesive. Shear bond strengths of the repaired specimens were measured using a Universal testing machine. Failure modes were evaluated under a stereomicroscope. Results: Different chemical and mechanical surface treatments had a significant effect on the shear bond strength values of all groups (p ≤ 0.05). The highest mean shear bond strength values were found in nano-hybrid composites immediately repaired by silane after treatment by a medium abrasive stone while the lowest mean shear bond strength values were found in micro-hybrid composites with delayed repair and no surface treatment. Conclusion: Diamond burs using silane with adhesive improved the repair bond strength of the tested hybrid composites. In composite repair, using abrasive mechanical pretreatment followed by adhesive conditioning is crucial for the success of the repair restoration.