Marginal Integrity of Self etching Adhesives in Two Different Application Protocols

Objective: To perform an in-vitro dye-penetration study on marginal integrity of four self etching adhesives [Prompt L-Pop III/3MEspe (PLP), Resulcin Aqua Prime&MonoBondN/Merz (RAP), AC-Bond, (ACB), AC-Bond+Desensitizer (ACB)/Heraeus-Kulzer], three total etch adhesives [Optibond FL/Kerr (OFL), Excite/Vivadent (EXC), Gluma Comfort Bond/Heraeus-Kulzer (GCB)] and two self etching dentin primer materials [Primebond Ethanol (PBE), Primebond Aqua (PBA), Schütz-Dental].

Method: Standardized mod-cavities (n=40) were prepared in 360 extracted human teeth (one cervical margin in cementum, one in enamel). In one application protocol, the adhesive was applied prior to placement of the Tofflemire matrix system (A, n=20); in the other, the metal matrix was placed first (B, n=20). Light curing was carried out from occlusal. After thermocycling (5000x, 5-55°C), the median percentages of dye-penetrated (2% methylene-blue, 10 s) margins (surface analysis) were determined separately for the cervical cementum- (CC), cervical enamel- (CE), and lateral enamel margins (LE) of the approximal boxes.

Significant differences (Wilcoxon exact-test, 5% level) between the application protocols (A or B) are marked with *.

Conclusion: Most of the total etch materials showed statistically significant superior marginal integrity than the majority of the self etching materials. Due to a significant influence of the application protocol on marginal integrity, it can be strongly recommended to apply the adhesive system before placement of the matrix.