Effect of long-term storage on nanomechanical and morphological properties of dentin–adhesive interfaces

Abstract Introduction To evaluate the influence of storage time on the elastic modulus, micromorphology, nanoleakage, and micromechanical behavior of the dentin–adhesive interfaces of five adhesive systems (Scotchbond Multi-Purpose, Clearfil SE Bond, One Up Bond F, Adper Easy One, and Filtek LS Adhesive) after 24 h (T0) and 12 months (T1). Methods Fifty teeth were restored and distributed according to each adhesive system ( n = 10). At least four specimens were obtained from each tooth. One specimen was evaluated under SEM to obtain the micromorphology of dentin–adhesive interface (DAI). Two specimens were used to assess nanoleakage, one tested in T0 and the other in T1. The last specimen was used for nanoindentation, in T0 and T1, to obtain the initial and final mechanical properties of DAI structures. Two non-restored teeth were evaluated under SEM to obtain the dentin morphology. Laboratorial data were used to build 15 finite element models to assess the maximum principal stress in each time of analysis. Results Storage resulted in hydrolysis of the dentin–adhesive interfaces for all groups. Silver impregnation increased for all groups after 1 year storage ( p < .05), except for Clearfil SE Bond. In general, a decrease in elastic modulus values was observed for all groups from T0 to T1 ( p < .05), mainly at the hybrid layer. The FEAs showed higher stress levels at T1 than T0 simulations for all adhesives. Conclusion At T1, degradation occurred at the dentin–adhesive interface formed by all adhesives, and the intensity of degradation differed depending on the type of adhesive system used. The interface formed by the self-etching primer containing the 10-MDP functional monomer showed the highest stability among the adhesive systems after 12 months of storage.