An evaluation of dentin conditioners for resin-modified glass ionomer cements

This study sought to test the null hypothesis that there was no difference between three dentin conditioners in terms of how they affected the shear bond strength to dentin of three resin-modified glass ionomer (RMGI) cements. One hundred twenty caries-free third molars were mounted in acrylic resin and their occlusal surfaces were reduced to within 2 mm of their cemento-enamel junction (CEJ). Of the three cements tested, Rely-X Plus (22.7 MPa) and Fuji CEM (19.0 MPa) produced the highest bond strengths when dentin was treated with 37% phosphoric acid and followed by the application of Optibond Solo Plus and BondLink. Among the dentin conditioners tested, Fuji Plus Conditioner increased bond strengths for all three cements more than leaving the smear layer intact, although the increase was not statistically significant. Dentin treated with Cavity Conditioner demonstrated the weakest bond strengths.