Effect of Tubular Orientation on the Dentin Bond Strength of Acidic Self-etch Adhesives
Clinical Relevance The effectiveness of self-etch adhesive systems is dependent on both the physical properties of the adhesive and the integrity of the adhesive-dentin interface. Most importantly, the integrity of the adhesive-dentin interface is affected by the tubule orientation of the intaglio dentin structure. The initial bond strength and potential durability of the self-etch adhesive interfaces to dentin are significantly affected by both the adhesive pH and occlusally-oriented tubule direction. The clinical relevance to the dentist is that the results reported for bond strengths by both manufacturers and independent researchers should be interpreted and compared based on the orientation of the dentin used for the measurements, particularly for those adhesives that are very acidic (pH lower than 2).