Effect of a simulated high-heat environment on bond strengths of dental adhesive systems

Abstract

Objective: The goal was to evaluate the effect of high-heat storage of three dental adhesive bonding agents on the bond strength of composite resin to dentin. Methods: Three different adhesive bonding agents were stored for 1 month at the manufacturers' recommended temperatures and simultaneously at high temperatures (43°C). The adhesives and a composite resin restorative material were bonded to the dentinal surface of five sectioned, extracted, human teeth for each of the six groups. The teeth were further sectioned into four beams per tooth (N = 20) and separated with a universal testing machine. Data were analyzed with analysis of variance/Tukey's test and Student's t test. Results: One of the three bonding agents had significantly lower bond strength when stored in a high-heat environment (p = 0.0003). Conclusions: High-heat storage conditions, as may occur in areas of deployment in Southwest Asia, may cause a reduction in the performance of some dental adhesives, potentially leading to premature failure of the restoration.