Effects of high-speed cutting on dentin permeability and bonding

The effects of high-speed cutting by use of a diamond bur with or without water coolant or sanding by 80-grit SiC paper on dentin permeability, before and after surface treatment, and dentin bonding of adhesive resins were compared. Three different bonding systems were used: Scotchbond DC, which requires no removal of smear layers, and two others, Clearfil Photobond and Superbond C&B, both of which remove smear layers (phosphoric acid gel or 10% citric acid containing 3% ferric chloride, respectively). Creation of smear layers by bur cutting or sanding reduced dentin permeability to levels that were only 1-3% of the maximum permeability values. Scotchbond DC gave low but consistent bond strengths (3.7-6.1 MPa) to dentin covered with smear layers. Clearfil PHotobond also produced consistent bond strengths (8.6-9.4 MPa). The increase in the permeability of dentin after phosphoric acid treatment was higher when the SiC paper was used (146%) than when the high-speed bur was used (87-90%). The smear layer and smear plugs produced by the diamond bur were more resistant to 10-3 treatment than were the SiC-created smear layers. The bond strengths of Superbond showed the highest bond strengths to the conditioned dentin when the high-speed cutting was used with water coolant (16.3 MPa), compared with the other two groups (12.2-12.5 MPa).