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Five-year clinical effectiveness of a two-step self-etching adhesive
Marleen Peumans1, Jan De Munck, Kirsten Van Landuyt
1Leuven BIOMAT Research Cluster, Department of Conservative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. marleen.peumans@med.kuleuven.ac.be
Clearfil SE, a mild self-etching adhesive, demonstrated excellent clinical performance in Class V restorations over five years. While selective enamel etching improved marginal adaptation, it did not critically impact overall restoration success.
Area of Science:
- Dental Materials Science
- Restorative Dentistry
- Clinical Oral Health
Background:
- Self-etching adhesives offer simplified application in dental restorations.
- Two-step self-etching adhesives are widely used for their balance of bond strength and technique sensitivity.
- Evaluating long-term clinical performance is crucial for material selection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the 5-year clinical performance of the mild two-step self-etching adhesive Clearfil SE in Class V restorations.
- To compare the clinical effectiveness of Clearfil SE with and without selective enamel etching.
- To test the hypothesis that selective enamel etching improves restoration outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Prospective randomized controlled clinical study involving 29 patients and 100 Class V restorations.
- Two groups: Clearfil SE (C-SE) non-etch vs. C-SE with selective enamel etching.
- Clinical evaluation included retention, marginal integrity, discoloration, caries, sensitivity, and vitality over 5 years.
Main Results:
- Overall excellent clinical effectiveness for Clearfil SE after 5 years, with only one restoration lost.
- Marginal integrity deteriorated in both groups over time.
- The non-etch group showed significantly more defect-free margins and incisal defects compared to the selective etch group.
Conclusions:
- The two-step self-etching adhesive Clearfil SE exhibits excellent 5-year clinical effectiveness.
- Selective enamel etching enhances marginal adaptation on the enamel side.
- The overall clinical performance of Clearfil SE restorations was not critically dependent on selective enamel etching.