Microtensile bond strength (μTBS) test was introduced in 1994. Since then, it has been utilized profoundly across many bond strength testing laboratories, making it currently one of the most standard and versatile bond strength test. Although it is a static and strength-based method, together with the morphological and spectroscopic investigations, it has been contributing immensely in the advancement of dentin adhesive systems. μTBS test has a greater discriminative capability than the traditional macro-shear bond test. During the early stage of its development, the authors predicted that this testing method would enable evaluation of the adhesive performances of resins to excavated carious or sclerotic dentin and the regional bond strengths of various portions of the cavity. In addition, they also stated the possibility of comparing the long-term stability of resin adhesion at various portions of the cavity walls on teeth extracted at various times after insertion of bonded restorations. In this review, we discussed the historical background, inception and the application of the μTBS test and proposed directions for further improvement of this testing method.

Currently, dental adhesives can be divided into two systems; a smear layer-removal approach with etch-and-rinse adhesives or a smear layer-modified approach with self-etching adhesives. After phosphoric acid etching, the smear layer is completely removed. More attention is, however, required when using self-etching adhesives. The smear layer is partially demineralized by the weak acidic monomer and subsequently incorporated into the hybrid layer. Therefore, the characteristics of the smear layer play an important role on the bonding performance of self-etching adhesives. Such characteristics, for instance, smear layer thickness and smear layer density, are influenced by many factors, e.g., instruments used for dentin surface preparation, cutting speed, and the abrasive particle size of the cutting instruments. This review discusses the contributing factors that affect the smear layer characteristics, and the influence of the smear layer on the bonding performance of dental adhesives. Also, the application techniques regarding how to improve the bonding performance of self-etching adhesives – the smear layer removal by using chemical agents, or the modification of the adhesive application procedures – are provided.

This study evaluated the effects of surface preparation and the application time of adhesives on the resin-dentine bond strengths with universal adhesives. Sixty molars were cut to exposed mid-coronal dentine and divided into 12 groups (n=5) based on three factors; (1) adhesive: G-Premio Bond (GP, GC Corp., Tokyo, Japan), Clearfil Universal Bond (CU, Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc., Okayama, Japan) and Scotchbond Universal Adhesive (SB, 3M ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA); (2) smear layer preparation: SiC paper ground dentine or bur-cut dentine; (3) application time: shortened time or as manufacturer's instruction. Fifteen resin-dentine sticks per group were processed for microtensile bond strength test (μTBS) according to non-trimming technique (1mm(2)) after storage in distilled water (37 °C) for 24h. Data were analyzed by three-way ANOVA and Dunnett T3 tests (α=0.05). Fractured surfaces were observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM). Another 12 teeth were prepared and cut into slices for SEM examination of bonded interfaces. μTBS were higher when bonded to SiC-ground dentine according to manufacturer's instruction. Bonding to bur-cut dentine resulted in significantly lower μTBS (p<0.000). Shortening the application time resulted in significantly lower bond strength for CU on SiC and GP on bur-cut dentine. SEM of fractured surfaces revealed areas with a large amount of porosities at the adhesive resin interface. This was more pronounced when adhesives were bonded with a reduced application time and on bur cut dentine. The performance of universal adhesives can be compromised on bur cut dentine and when applied with a reduced application time.

SUMMARY: Objective: This study evaluated the effect of shortened application time on long-term bond strength with universal adhesives.Methods and Materials: Three universal adhesives were used: Clearfil Universal Bond (CU, Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc, Tokyo, Japan), Scotchbond Universal Adhesive (SB, 3M ESPE, St Paul, MN, USA) or G-Premio Bond (GP, GC Corp, Tokyo, Japan). Sixty molars were cut to expose midcoronal dentin and prepared with a regular diamond bur. Each adhesive was applied either according to the manufacturer's instruction or with shortened time. Specimens were stored in distilled water at 37°C for 24 hours and then cut into resin-dentin sticks. Microtensile bond strength (μTBS) was tested after either 24 hours or 1 year of water storage. Data were analyzed by the three-way ANOVA and Duncan tests (α=0.05). Fracture modes were analyzed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). One dentin stick per group was selected after fracture mode analysis and further observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Six additional dentin discs were prepared and conditioned with each adhesive under the different application time to observe the adhesive-smear layer interaction by SEM.Results: Shortened application time affected the μTBS (p<0.001) while storage time did not affect bond strength (p=0.187). A significant effect of shortened application time on μTBS was observed in the CU at 1 year and in the GP at both storage times.Conclusions: One-year storage time had no effect on the μTBS of universal adhesives to bur-cut dentin. The performance of universal adhesives can be compromised when applied using a shortened application time.