The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bond strength of a new Single step system with different curing mode composites, and to evaluate the effect of the intermediate resins which have different hydrophilicity on bonding ability by means of the micro shear bond testing and TEM examination for the adhesive interface. The adhesive used in this study was an experimental single step system (Bisco Inc., Schaumburg, IL). Experimental groups were produced by using six kinds of intermediate resin having different hydrophilicity that was hydrophilic, hydrophobic and most hydrophobic resin and as filled or not after applying adhesive. Each experimental group was further divided into two subgroups whether the adhesive was light cured or not. Dual cured composite (Bis Core, Bisco Ltd., Schaumburg, IL) was placed on the adhesive layer as light cure or self cure mode. The results of bond strength were statistically analyzed using one way ANOVA and multiple comparisons are made using Tukey's test at α < 0.05 level.

The results of this study were as follows;

1. The application of intermediate resin did not increase the bond strength for light cured composite.

2. The bond strength of an experimental adhesive with self cured composite was significantly increased by the application of intermediate resin layer.

3. The bond strength of adhesive was irrespective of the cure or not of itself before intermediate resin layer applied.

4. As applied hydrophilic resin layer was, the initial bond strength was higher than both hydrophobic and most hydrophobic one used but there was no significance.

Using a single step adhesive with dual/self cured composite, the incompatibility between both of them should be solved by the application of intermediate hydrophobic resin to reduce the adhesive permeability. However, Single step adhesive can be used in the light cured composite restoration without any decrease of the initial bond strength.

The purpose of this study was to prove that an intermediate resin layer (IRL) can increase the bond strength to dentin by reducing the permeability of single-step adhesives.

Flat dentin surfaces were created on buccal and lingual side of freshly extracted third molar using a low-speed diamond saw under copious water flow. Approximately 2.0 mm thick axially sectioned dentin slice was abraded with wet #600 SiC paper. Three single-step self-etch adhesives; Adper Prompt L-Pop (3M ESPE, St Paul, MN, USA), One-Up Bond F (Tokuyama Corp, Tokyo, Japan) and Xeno III (Dentsply, Konstanz, Germany) were used in this study. Each adhesive groups were again subdivided into ten groups by; whether IRL was used or not; whether adhesives were cured with light before application of IRL or not; the mode of composite application.

The results of this study were as follows;

1. Bond strength of single-step adhesives increased by an additional coating of intermediate resin layer, and this increasement was statistically signigicant when self-cured composite was used (p < 0.001).

2. When using IRL, there were no difference on bond strengths regardless the curing procedure of single-step adhesives.

3. There were no significant difference on bond strengths between usage of AB2 or SM as an IRL.

4. The thickness of hybrid layer was correlated with the acidity of adhesive used, and the nanoleakage represented by silver deposits and grains was examined within hybrid and adhesive layer in most of single-step adhesives.

5. Neither thickness of hybrid layer nor nanoleakage were related to bond strength.