Objectives: No solid conclusion has been reached yet regarding bond strength of composite to SDF-treated dentin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of SDF on microtensile bond strength of universal adhesives in self-etch mode to sound and demineralized dentin.
Materials and Methods: We used 30 extracted permanent molars and immersed half of them in a demineralizing solution to induce artificial dentin caries. We divided all the specimens into 4 groups: 1. Sound dentin without SDF, 2. Sound dentin with SDF, 3. Demineralized dentin without SDF, 4. Demineralized dentin with SDF. After SDF treatment, we applied 10-MDP containing universal adhesive followed by 4 mm nano-hybrid composite build-up. After restoration, we sectioned the specimens and measured microtensile bond strength (µTBS). We investigated the mode of failure and the resin-dentin interface after treatment. We analysed the data statistically using ANOVA, followed by Tukey's Post Hoc test.
Results: The microtensile bond strength of sound and demineralized dentin to composite using universal adhesives in self-etch mode dropped significantly after SDF application. The least bond strength values were evident in the ‘demineralized dentin with SDF' group. The most common type of failure in ‘sound dentin without SDF application' group was cohesive, while the predominant failure mode in the other 3 groups was adhesive.
Conclusion: We concluded that the bond strength of resin composite to either sound or demineralized dentin is negatively affected by the application of SDF prior to the use of universal adhesives in self-etch mode.