Enhancing Bond Strength of 3D-Printed Resin Posts Using Various Surface Pretreatments: An In Vitro Study

Purpose: This study investigated the impact of common surface pretreatments on the contact angle (CA), surface free energy (SFE), and push-out bond strength (PBS) of custom 3D-printed resin posts. Materials and Methods: Post spaces of 60 endodontically treated mandibular premolars were prepared. Custom 3D-printed posts made from permanent crown resin were fabricated for 50 randomly selected post spaces. The specimens were then divided into six groups (n = 10) based on their surface pretreatment methods. These methods included sandblasting (SB), silane (SL), hydrofluoric acid (HF), and hydrogen peroxide (HP). Additionally, two control groups were established: glass fiber control (GFC) and permanent resin control (PRC). CA and SFE were measured for each 3D-printed post group. PBS and failure mode analyses were conducted. The data were analyzed using the two-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey post hoc test (alpha =.05). Results: The lowest CA values were found in the SB and SL groups. The SB group had the highest SFE compared to all other groups. SL markedly enhanced the PBS of the resin post compared to the PRC at the cervical, middle, and apical levels (P =.001, P =.000, and P =.002, respectively), and the values were comparable to those of the GFC (P =.695, P =.999, and P =.992, respectively). Except in the GFC, SB, and SL groups, mixed failure decreased from the cervical to apical levels, while adhesive failure rates increased. Conclusions: The application of silane and sandblasting to the surfaces of custom 3D-printed resin posts effectively increased their SFE, thereby enhancing their adhesion.