Effects of aging on the bond strength of self-etching adhesives and resin luting cements

Abstract Background/purpose This study was designed to evaluate the microtensile bond strengths of self-etching adhesives and resin luting cements immediately after bonding and after exposure to aging. Materials and methods Forty noncarious human molars were divided into five groups and randomly assigned to self-etching systems [AdheSE Bond(ASE), Prompt L-Pop(PLP), and TyranSPE+Onestep Plus(OSP)] or resin luting cement systems [Panavia F(PF) or Duolink(DL)]. All adhesives were applied in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions. A composite resin build-up was created with composite resins from each respective company (Tetric EvoCeram, Filtek Supreme XT, Aelite Aesthetic, Estenia, and Tescera ATL). Half of the specimens were tested immediately after bonding. The remaining specimens were mechanically loaded in artificial saliva for 60,000 cycles with a wear simulator at 37 °C and were then stored in artificial saliva at room temperature for 1 year before undergoing a microtensile test. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's honestly significant difference test. Results Differences in immediate bonding values were observed among the adhesives, ASE demonstrating the greatest bond strength. After aging (with loading and after 1 year), a reduced interfacial bond strength was observed for the ASE, OSP, and DL adhesives. Conclusion PF luting cement and PLP dentin adhesive were less affected by aging than the other dentin adhesive systems studied. Additional in vivo data should be acquired to complement these findings and clarify the clinical efficacies of the tested adhesives.