Influence of the frequency of Er:YAG laser on the bond strength of dental enamel.

Objective: The present study had the aim of evaluating the influence of different frequencies of the Er:YAG laser on adhesive resistance of enamel and one restorative system.

Background data: There have been no reports of studies assessing the influence of the pulse frequency variation of the Er:YAG laser on adhesive resistance of the enamel/resin interface.

Materials and methods: Fifty surfaces of enamel from extracted human third molars were planed and divided into five groups at random. Enamel surface treatment was realized by the Er:YAG laser at 80-mJ power and 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-Hz pulse frequencies, followed by etching. For the control group, only acid conditioning with 37% phosphoric acid for 15 sec was used. The Single Bond/Filtek Z250 system was chosen for the fabrication of the specimens, which were stored in 100% relative humidity for 24 h, at 37 degrees C. The specimens were submitted to tensile resistance tests using a Universal Testing Machine (50 Kgf and 0.5 mm/min).

Results: The mean values in MPa were 1 Hz, 25.58 (+/-6.16); 2 Hz, 25.58 (+/-3.79); 3 Hz, 21.34 (+/-3.78); 4 Hz, 21.17 (+/-3.13); and phosphoric acid only, 22.44 (+/-7.0). Data were submitted to statistical analysis using ANOVA, and there was no significant difference in tensile resistance between the studied groups.

Conclusion: The results suggest that the Er:YAG laser, with 80-mJ power associated with acid conditioning at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-Hz frequencies, did not present significant improvement in tensile bonding of enamel, as compared to acid conditioning only.