Evaluation of Bond Strengths of Conventional and Self-Adhesive Cements in the Cementation of Fiberglass Posts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the bond strength of self-adhesive (no need for bonding procedures) and conventional (with total-etch or self-etch primers) cementation strategies and the qualitative variables that interfere with the adhesion of fiberglass posts through a systematic review and meta-analysis of in vitro studies.

METHODS

This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed according to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) and registered under the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). The research question was "What resin cement provides better bond strength between the fiberglass posts and the root dentin: conventional or self-adhesive?" The PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane databases were searched by two independent researchers.

RESULTS

There were statistically significant differences between self-adhesive and conventional resin cements (p<0.00001), favoring conventional cements.

CONCLUSION

Conventional cements presented the best results regarding the bond strength of the fiberglass post cementation. However, variations in methodology and the risk of bias in analyzed studies may have decreased the reliability of the present study. More studies on this subject using a leveled methodology are recommended.