Influence of dentin primer application methods on dentin bond strength

This study was carried out to determine the influence of dentin primer application methods on bond strength to human dentin. Two dentin bonding restorative systems, Imperva Bond/Lite-Fil II A (Shofu) and Scotchbond Multi-Purpose/Z-100 (3M) were employed. Human molars were mounted in self-cured resin and the buccal surfaces were prepared with #600-grit SiC paper. These surfaces were then conditioned according to each manufacturer's instructions. Two experiments were designed: (1) effect of the primer application procedures (inactive and active application), and (2) effect of the air drying time (0, 1, 5, 10, 20, 30 seconds). The adhesives were applied and resin composites were bonded to the teeth. Ten samples per test group were stored in 37°C deionized water for 24 hours, and shear tested with a circular knife edge at a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm/minute. A one-way ANOVA followed by the Newman-Keuls multiple comparison at P < 0.05 was done. For both restorative systems, the bond strengths for active application were higher than those for inactive application, but there was no significant difference between the two mean values. According to the air drying time, there appeared to be an optimal range of drying times, longer for Imperva Bond (10-30 seconds) than for Scotchbond MP (1-5 seconds). The data suggest that the bond strengths of employed dentin bonding systems were greatly influenced by the methods of the dentin primer application.