Bond strength of fiber reinforced composite after repair

Kim, Min Jung; Kim, Kyung Ho; Choy, Kwangchul

Abstract

Fiber reinforced composite (FRC) is usually used as a connector joining a few teeth into one unit in orthodontics. However, fracture often occurs during the two to three years of the orthodontic treatment period due to repeated occlusal loading or water sorption in the oral environment. We simulated the repair by overlapping and attaching portions of two FRC strips in the middle and performed a three-point bending test to investigate the changes of the repair strength among the different FRC groups. The specimens were grouped according to the overlapping lengths of the two FRC strips, which were 1, 2, 3 and 4 mm (group E1, E2, E3 and E4, respectively) and the control group consisted of unrepaired, intact FRC strips. Each group consisted of 6 specimens and were cured with a light emitting diode curing unit. Group E4 showed the highest maximum loads of 2.67 N, then the control group (2.39 N), group E3 (2.35 N), E2 (2.10 N), and E1 (1.75 N) in decreasing order. Group E4 also showed the highest stiffness, which was 2.32 N/mm, however, the stiffness of group E3 (2.06 N/mm) was higher than that of the control group (1.88 N/mm). According to the visual examination, the specimens tended to be bent rather than being fractured into two pieces with an increased length of overlapping portions. The above results suggest that a minimum overlapping length of 3 mm was necessary to obtain an adequate repair of a 10 mm length of FRC connector. In addition, the critical section adjacent to the joint area, where the thickness decreased abruptly, should be reinforced with flowable resin to minimize the bending tendency.