Mineral density, morphology and bond strength of natural versus artificial caries-affected dentin

This study aimed to investigate an artificial caries-affected dentin (ACAD) model for in vitro bonding studies in comparison to natural caries-affected dentin (NCAD) of human teeth. ACAD was created over 7 days in a demineralizing solution. Mineral density (MD) at different depth levels (0-150 µm) was compared between NCAD and ACAD by transverse microradiography. Micro-tensile bond strengths (µTBS) of two two-step self-etch adhesives to sound dentin, NCAD and ACAD were evaluated. Caries-affected dentin type was not a significant factor when comparing MD at different lesion levels (p>0.05). Under SEM, the dentinal tubules appeared occluded with crystal logs 1-2 µm in thickness in the NCAD; whereas they remained open in the ACAD. The µTBS to caries-affected dentin was lower than sound dentin, but was not affected by the type of caries (p>0.05). In spite of their different morphologies, the ACAD model showed similar MD and µTBS compared to NCAD.