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Updated: May 9, 2026

Evaluation of the Curing of Adhesive Systems by Rheological and Thermal Testing
Published on: July 3, 2020
Effect of carbodiimide (EDC) on the bond stability of etch-and-rinse adhesive systems
Annalisa Mazzoni1, Valeria Angeloni, Fabianni M Apolonio
1Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
Objective:
Recent studies supported the use of protein cross-linking agents during bonding procedures to inactivate endogenous dentin proteases, preventing dentin collagen degradation thus improving bond durability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC)-containing conditioner on the stability of the adhesive interface created by two etch-and-rinse adhesives.
Methods:
Human dentin was etched with 35% phosphoric acid, treated with 0.3M EDC-containing conditioner followed by a three-step or a two-step etch-and-rinse adhesive. Adhesives were applied to control specimens without EDC pre-treatment. Specimens were subjected to microtensile bond strength test and pulled to failure after 24h or 1 year of storage and interfacial nanoleakage expression was evaluated and quantified by light microscopy. Additionally, to investigate endogenous dentin matrix metalloproteinase activity a zymographic assay was performed on protein extracts obtained from phosphoric-acid-etched dentin powder with or without EDC treatment.
Results:
The use of the EDC-containing conditioner did not affect immediate bond strength to dentin but contributed to preserve the bond strength after 1 year (p<0.05) for both tested adhesives. No difference was found in the interfacial nanoleakage expression that increased after aging irrespective from the treatment. EDC pre-treatment inhibited dentin endogenous MMPs as assayed with the zymography.
Significance:
In conclusion, the results of the study provide proof that EDC can produce long-term inactivation of MMPs in acid-etched dentin matrices contributing to bond strength preservation over time. Future studies are needed to support the use of EDC in vivo.
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