The purposes of this study were to compare the effects of one or two applications of all-in-one adhesives on microtensile bond strengths (µTBS) to unground enamel and to investigate the morphological changes in enamel surfaces treated with these adhesives using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Twenty-five noncarious, unrestored human mandibular molars were used. The unground enamel surfaces were cleansed with pumice. The following adhesives were applied to lingual, mid-coronal surfaces according to manufacture's directions; Clearfil SE bond in SE group, Adper Prompt L-Pop™1 coat in LP1 group, 2 coats in LP2 group, Xeno® III 1 coat in XN1 group, and 2 coats in XN2 group. After application of the adhesives, a hybrid light-activated resin composite was built up on the unground enamel. Each tooth was sectioned to make a cross-sectional area of approximately 1.0 mm2 for each stick. The microtensile bond strength was determined. Each specimen was observed under SEM to examine the morphological changes. Data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA.
The results of this study were as follows;
1. The microtensile bond strength values were; SE (19.77±2.44 MPa), LP1 (13.88±3.67 MPa), LP2 (14.50±2.52 MPa), XN1 (14.42±2.51 MPa) and XN2 (15.28±2.79 MPa). SE was significantly higher than the other groups in bond strength (p < 0.05). All groups except SE were not significantly different in bond strength (p < 0.05).
2. All groups were characterized as shallow and irregular etching patterns.