The purpose of this study was to perform quantitative comparisons of water permeable zones in both the adhesive and the hybrid layer before and after thermocycling in order to assess the integrity of the bonding interface. Twenty eight flat dentin surfaces were bonded with a light-cured composite resin using one of four commercial adhesives [OptiBond FL (OP), AdheSE (AD), Clearfil SE Bond (CL), and Xeno III (XE)]. These were sectioned into halves and subsequently cut to yield 2-mm thick specimens; one specimen for control and the other subjected to thermocycling for 10,000 cycles. After specimens were immersed in ammoniacal silver nitrate for 24 h and exposed to a photo developing solution for 8 h, the bonded interface was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and wavelength dispersive spectrometry (WDS) at five locations per specimen. Immediately after bonding, the adhesive layer of OP showed the lowest silver uptake, followed by CL, AD, and XE in ascending order (p < 0.0001); the hybrid layer of CL had the lowest silver content among the groups (p = 0.0039). After thermocycling, none of the adhesives manifested a significant increase of silver in either the adhesive or the hybrid layer. SEM demonstrated the characteristic silver penetrated patterns within the interface. It was observed that integrity of bonding was well maintained in OP and CL throughout the thermocycling process. Adhesive-tooth interfaces are vulnerable to hydrolytic degradation and its permeability varies in different adhesive systems, which may be clinically related to the restoration longevity.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects on the elastic moduli of the adhesive and the hybrid layer from thermocycling. Twenty one human molars were used to create flat dentin surfaces. Each specimen was bonded with a light-cured composite using one of three commercial adhesives (OptiBond FL [OP], Clearfil SE Bond [CL], and Xeno III [XE]). These were sectioned into two halves and subsequently cut to yield 2-mm thickness specimens; one specimen for immediate bonding test without thermocycling and the other subjected to 10,000 times of thermocycling. Nanoindentation test was performed to measure the modulus of elasticity of the adhesive and the hybrid layer, respectively, using an atomic force microscope. After thermocycling, XE showed a significant decrease of the modulus in the adhesive layer (p < 0.05). Adhesives containing hydrophilic monomers are prone to hydrolytic degradation. It may result in the reduced modulus of elasticity, which leads to the mechanically weakened bonding interface.