[Operatory field in bonded dentures: proposals for a rationale]

Success in acid-etched dentistry essentially depends on the quality of the adhesion. The bonding session must be carried out with the upmost rigour. The operative field will permit good protection against humidity (saliva, bleeding, gingival fluid, breathing), as well as good instrumental and visual access for finishing. Three different methods are available: retraction (retraction cords), isolation (rubber-dam, "contour strip"), and retraction + combined isolation (thick rubber-dam + suture; mini rubber-dam + suture. The indications depend on the localization in the mouth and the kind of restoration. It is thus necessary to classify the methods so that the selection of the operative field will be simple to work in, quick and systematic. The impossibility of isolating the surfaces to be bonded and to have an access to the margins must be an absolute counter-indication of this technique.