Improving bonding to eroded dentin by using collagen cross-linking agents: 2 years of water storage

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of collagen cross-linking agents on nanomechanical and bonding properties of eroded dentin (ED), 24 h and 2 years after water storage. Materials and methods Human molar dentin surfaces, eroded by soft drinks or citric acid, were acid-etched and treated with primers containing proanthocyanidin (PA) and riboflavin (RI) or were untreated (control) and tested after 24 h and 2 years. After acid etching and adhesive application (Prime&Bond Elect (PBE); Scotchbond Universal (SBU); Tetric n-bond Universal (TEU)), specimens were sectioned into beams and tested for microtensile bond strength (μTBS) and silver nitrate deposition (NL) after 24 h and 2 years. The beams were used to evaluate the 24-h in situ conversion of degree (DC). Nanohardness (NH) and Young’s modulus (YM) were evaluated via resin-bonded dentin slices after 24 h and 2 years. A three-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test were used for statistical analysis (5%). Results For both storage times, ED with citric acid resulted in lower μTBS, NH, and YM and higher NL for each adhesive system than soft drink ED ( p