Bond Stability of Universal Adhesives Applied To Dentin Using Etch-And-Rinse or Self-Etch Strategies

This study evaluated the immediate and 6-month dentin bond strength of universal adhesives used in etch-and-rinse or self-etch bonding strategies. The adhesives tested were Ambar Universal, G-Bond, Single Bond Universal, Tetric N-Bond Universal, and Ybond Universal. Gold standard adhesives (Scotchbond Multipurpose Plus and Clearfil SE Bond) were controls. Microtensile dentin bond strength (n=5 teeth), pH, and C=C conversion (n=3) were evaluated. Data were analyzed at α=0.05. All adhesives showed differences in pH. Ybond had intermediately strong aggressiveness, whereas the others were ultra-mild. The C=C conversion was different in most adhesives. In the etch-and-rinse strategy, all adhesives showed similar results generally except for G-Bond, which had lower bond strength than most adhesives. G-Bond and Tetric-N-Bond showed lower bond strengths after 6 months compared with 24 h, whereas the other adhesives had stable dentin bonds. In the self-etch strategy, G-Bond had lower bond strength than most adhesives. After 6 months, Ambar was the only adhesive showing lower dentin bond strength compared with 24 h. Most adhesives had discreet drops in bond strength during aging when used in the self-etch strategy. The failure modes were also material dependent, with a general pattern of increased adhesive and/or pre-testing failures after storage. In conclusion, the bonding performance of universal adhesives to dentin is material dependent. Most adhesives had stable dentin bonds with results comparable to the gold standard materials, particularly when applied in the self-etch mode. In general, it seems the use of universal adhesives in dentin should not be preceded by phosphoric acid etching.