Effect of mode of conditioning treatment on efficacy of dentin bonding

The effect of the mode of application of the Gluma bonding systems' conditioning agents on dentin bonding efficacy was investigated. The reason for this study was the apparent conflict between the manufacturer's instruction to rub the cavity for 30 seconds with a pellet soaked with the conditioning agent and the poor access to some cavity types, which may make it impossible to do so. The efficacy of dentin bonding with or without rubbing conditioning was not different in terms of shear bond strength and marginal cavity adaptation. SEM analysis of the coupling zone showed different resin-impregnated layer thicknesses resulting from the two modes of conditioning. These differences have, however, no impact on the quality of the bond mediated, provided that, as with the Gluma bonding systems, the primer and/or the adhesive resin have perfectly wetted and penetrated the surface collagen and that the degree of polymerization of the resin in the coupling hybrid layer is adequate. The mode of conditioning, therefore, is not critical for dentin bonding with the Gluma systems.