Bonding efficacy of single-step self-etch systems to sound primary and permanent tooth dentin

Currently, there is little information regarding the bonding efficacy of single-step self-etch systems to primary tooth dentin. This study examined the microtensile bond strength of single-step self-etch systems (Clearfil tri-S Bond and One-Up Bond F Plus) to sound primary and permanent tooth dentin. Adhesives were applied to flat samples of primary and permanent tooth dentin, and resin composites were bonded according to the manufacturers' instructions. After 24 hours of storage in distilled water at 37 degrees C, hour glass-shaped specimens were produced. They were subjected to microtensile testing at a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm/minute. The results were analyzed using 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by the Tukey HSD post-hoc test (alpha=0.05). Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) observations of the adhesive-treated dentin surfaces and the resin/dentin interface were also conducted. The bond strengths of primary tooth dentin were significantly lower than that of permanent tooth dentin for both self-etch systems: 44.7 +/- 10.4 versus 54.3 +/- 9.0 MPa for Clearfil tri-S Bond and 40.6 +/- 9.9 versus 50.0 +/- 8.7 MPa for One-Up Bond F Plus (p<0.001). There was no statistically significant interaction between the type of adhesive system and the dentin substrate (p=0.957). Although there was no statistically significant difference in the mean values among the different adhesive systems (p=0.094), there was a statistically significant difference in mean values among the different dentin substrates (p<0.001), which were lower for primary tooth dentin than for permanent tooth dentin. The failure modes were also independent of the type of dentin but dependent on the adhesive systems, an equal distribution among the 3 types of failure for Clearfil tri-S Bond and cohesive failures in adhesives for One-Up Bond F Plus. FE-SEM observations of dentin to which adhesive had been applied revealed that the smear layer had been removed and the collagen fibers exposed. Though the bond strengths to primary tooth dentin were lower than to permanent tooth dentin, excellent adaptation of the single-step self-etch systems to both dentin substrates was observed by FE-SEM. Further studies are required to determine the long-term clinical performance of these adhesive systems when applied to primary tooth dentin.