Cutting effectiveness of carbide burs following multiple steam autoclaving cycles.

New carbide burs that are placed on a bur block can be subjected to multiple steam autoclaving cycles prior to their first use. The decision to discard a bur before or during cavity preparation is a subjective one based on operator expectations and experience. This study examined the durability of carbide burs after multiple autoclaving cycles by judging not only their initial sharpness but also their ability to maintain sharpness throughout a cavity preparation.

Effect of placement agitation and placement time on the shear bond strength of 3 self-etching adhesives.

This study measured the shear bond strength (SBS) of 3 self-etching bonding agents to enamel and dentin with and without agitation at 3 different application times. The null hypotheses tested were that agitation and application time have no effect on bond strength. Occlusal surfaces of 180 recently extracted caries-free human molars were wet ground with 600 grit wet-dry silica carbide abrasive paper to obtain a flat enamel surface.