Shear bond strength of two resin cements to human root dentin using three dentin bonding agents

This study compared the bond strength of two resin cements to human root dentin when used with three bonding agents. The materials used were Rely X ARC and Perma Cem, two one-bottle bonding agents (Single Bond, Bond-1) and one self-etching bonding agent (Clearfil SE Bond). The dentin was obtained from single rooted human teeth, and the specimens were treated with either 15% EDTA or 37% phosphoric acid to remove the smear layer, except in groups where the self-etching bonding agent was used. The resin cements were placed on dentin surfaces with the use of bonding agents. Shear bond strength (SBS) was tested using a single plane shear test assembly. The dentin specimens were divided into 10 groups. Eight groups were pre-treated with EDTA or phosphoric acid to remove the smear layer, followed by a bonding agent (Bond-1 or Single Bond) and resin cement (Rely X or Perma Cem). In the two remaining groups, the smear layer was left intact, and the two resins cements were used in combination with the self-etching bonding agent (Clearfil SE Bond). No statistically significant differences were observed among the eight groups treated with one-bottle bonding agents. The mean bond strengths of the two groups treated with the self-etching bonding agent did not differ significantly from each other but were both significantly greater than the bond strengths of all the other groups. The results of this study also showed that EDTA can be used as an alternative to phosphoric acid in bonding procedures for resin cements. However, the bond strengths of resin cements, in combination with a self-etching bonding agent, were significantly greater than those of the same cements when used with one-bottle bonding agents.