Retentive strength of luting cements for stainless steel crowns: A systematic review

Background: Stainless steel crowns (SSCs) are unique coronal restorative materials used commonly in the management of primary teeth with extensive caries. Aim: The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review to evaluate the retentive strength of luting cements for SSCs. Materials and Methods: Two reviewers performed a database search of the studies published from 2004 till date. The inclusion criteria were papers published in the English language andin vitro studies on retentive strength of SSC on primary molars. All potentially relevant studies were identified by the title and the abstract. After the full-text analysis, the selected studies were included in the systematic review. Results: Sixteen nonduplicated studies were found. However, after reviewing the articles, only seven were included. Risk bias was assessed. Out of seven studies included in the systematic review, five studies presented medium risk of bias and two studies showed high risk of bias. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, thein vitro literature seems to suggest that the use of self-adhesive resin cements shows higher retentive strength, followed by resin-modified glass-ionomer cement (RM-GIC) and conventional GIC. However, RM-GIC can be a preferred luting agent due to its clinical advantages over resin cements. Thus, it can be concluded that choice of cement will depend on individual patient needs and clinical situation.