Retention strengths of five luting cements on prefabricated dowels after root canal obturation with a zinc oxide/eugenol sealer: 1. Dowel space preparation/cementation at one week after obturation.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied the intervention named in the title in this randomized controlled trial publication.

This investigation examined the effect of 5 different cements on the retention strength of prefabricated endodontic dowels placed into root canals previously obturated with gutta percha and a zinc oxide/eugenol (ZOE) sealer.

Who Took Part

Ninety-six single-rooted teeth were decoronated, filed, cleaned, sequentially shaped, and divided into 6 groups of 16 specimens each.

Dowel space preparation and dowel cementation for all groups were completed 1 week later.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got the intervention named in the title and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Five of the groups were then obturated with gutta percha and a ZOE sealer.

One group was not obturated and served as the control group.

Ten-mm deep dowel spaces were prepared using size 6 Gates Glidden drills.

Size 5 Paraposts were then cemented with 5 different cements: Panavia 21 for group 1 (unobturated controls) and group 2; Ketac-Cem glass ionomer for group 3; Fleck's zinc phosphate for group 4; Parapost (composite) Cement for group 5; and C&B Metabond 4-META for group 6.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Analysis of Variance, Boron Compounds, Cementation, Composite Resins, Confidence Intervals, Dental Bonding and Dental Cements.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 8 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2002 (Journal of prosthodontics : official journal of the American College of Prosthodontists), a journal based in United States.

More context: all human trials.