Adhesion of composite resins to enamel irradiated by the Er:YAG laser:: Application of the ultrasonic scaler on irradiated surface

Background and Objective: The clinical use of the Er:YAG laser in cavity preparation has become widespread. With respect to cavities prepared with the Er:YAG laser, restorations using composite resins and glass ionomer cements are common. The bond strength of current resin bonding systems to ground enamel is 14-30 MPa, whereas the strength to Er:YAG laser-irradiated enamel, regardless of the use or non-use of phosphoric acid etching is less than 10 MPa. Study Design/Materials and Methods: In this investigation, an ultrasonic scaler was tested as a technique to increase the bond strength of composite resins to the Er:YAG irradiated enamel surface. Results: The application of the ultrasonic scaler significantly increased bond strength. Conclusion: The tensile bond strength in the groups treated with the ultrasonic scaler exhibited approximately twice the strength observed in groups treated with laser irradiation alone. Lasers Surg. Med. 28:365-370, 2001. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.