title: Laboratory assessment of the retentive potential of adhesive posts: a review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This review aimed at summarizing the laboratory evidence collected on the retentive ability of adhesive posts since their introduction in dentistry.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were searched in articles published or in press in peer-review journals listed in MEDLINE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Papers were retrieved through PubMed.
  
  
  METHODS
  To collect the evidence of interest, the following search terms were used: bond* AND fiber post AND in vitro; lut* AND fiber post AND in vitro; push-out AND fiber post; pull-out AND fiber post; microtensile AND fiber post. "Related Links" were also considered and articles cited in the initially retrieved papers were included if relevant. No time limit was given to the query.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Seventy relevant papers were reviewed. The retentive ability of adhesive posts has been tested with the microtensile technique, post-pull-out and push-out tests. If small-sized specimens are obtained, such as in microtensile and thin-slice push-out, stress uniformity is favoured, local differences in bonding conditions can be discerned, and the number of teeth needed for the test can be reduced. Although adhesion to intraradicular dentin is more challenging to achieve than bonding to crown tissues, the post-retention achieved with current luting systems and techniques is adequate to ensure the clinical success of adhesive post-retained restorations. To enhance the bond at the post-core and post-cement interfaces, several chemical pre-treatments of the post-surface have been tested with positive results. Self-adhesive resin cements, recently proposed to simplify the post-luting procedure, should be investigated further with regard to durability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Fixed Prosthodontics and Dental Materials, University of Siena, Policlinico Le Scotte, Viale Bracci, Siena 53100, Italy. cecilia.goracci@tin.it
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Goracci
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grandini
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bossù
authors.forename: Egidio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bertelli
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrari
mesh_terms: D001840:Dental Bonding; D017268:Dental Prosthesis Retention; D003799:Dental Stress Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D011176:Post and Core Technique / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical