Dentin bond strength of light-cured glass-ionomer cements

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of surface treatments and irradiation conditions on the bond strength of light-cured glass-ionomer cements to dentin. The light-cured glass-ionomer cements used in this study were Vitrabond, XR Ionomer, and Fuji Lining LC. Three experiments were designed to study the influence of the following factors on bond strength to dentin: (1) effect of the surface treatment of the dentin, (2) effect of the irradiation time, (3) effect of an increase in the interval between mixing of the cement and irradiation. Samples were stored in water for 24 hours, after which shear bond testing was performed at a cross-head speed of 1 mm/min. For Vitrabond, the Scotchprep and Gluma 2 treatments gave the greatest shear bond strengths. For XR Ionomer and Fuji Lining LC, the Scotchprep treatment gave the greatest shear bond strengths. The bond strengths for all cements increased with prolonged irradiation time. Bond strengths decreased with a longer elapsed time between mixing and light-curing. This means that light-curing should be done soon after the cement is placed. The failure mode was found to be cohesive in the ionomer.