Effect of Different Composite Placement Molds on Resin-Enamel/Dentin Shear Bond Strength

Background: Different types of molds are being used to place resin composite and build composite buildup in shear bond strength test. However, a little information is available in the literature regarding their effects on resin-enamel/dentin bond strengths. Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of different composite placement molds on shear bond strength (SBS) of composite resin bonded to enamel and dentin. Methods & Material: Three different composite placement molds (silicone mold, one-piece fixed plexiglass mold, two-piece removable plexiglass) and two substrates (enamel and dentin) were used in this study. Composite resins were bonded to enamel and dentin surfaces with using one of the tested placement molds (n=20) and SBS tests were performed using universal testing machine. Results: The findings showed that bond strength was not influenced by different composite placement molds (p=0.147), but influenced by bonding substrate (p=0.000).More cohesive failures in enamel were evident with one-piece fixed mold. It can be concluded that composite placement molds have no effect on resin-enamel and dentin bond strengths, but it affects failure mode distributions in resin-enamel bonding.