Repair Surface Conditioning Measures Affect Enamel and Dentin Bond Strength.

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Adhesive Dentistry
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Proper surface conditioning is crucial for durable dental restorations.
• Universal adhesives offer versatility but their performance can be affected by prior treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of various repair surface conditioning methods on the bond strength of a universal adhesive.
• To compare the effects in etch-and-rinse (ER) and self-etch (SE) application modes.

Main Methods:

• Bovine enamel and dentin were subjected to contamination simulating repair conditioning (sandblasting, silica coating, acid etching, ceramic primer).
• A universal adhesive was applied in ER or SE modes.
• Shear bond strength (SBS) and failure modes were assessed after thermal cycling.

Main Results:

• In ER mode, sandblasting and silica coating significantly reduced SBS when applied after phosphoric acid etching.
• Hydrofluoric acid etching impaired enamel SBS, while SE mode showed reduced SBS with most conditioning measures except the universal primer.

Conclusions:

• Contamination of enamel and dentin with repair conditioning measures can negatively impact adhesive bond strength.
• Careful consideration of surface conditioning protocols is necessary to maintain bond integrity in dental restorations.