The success of the sandwich technique depends on the bond strength of composite to glass-ionomer cement (GIC)/resin-modified glass-ionomer cement (RMGIC). Currently used adhesives employ the total-etch and the self-etch techniques. The total-etch system is technique sensitive, whereas the self-etch system is popular for its ease of use. The aim of this systematic review is to compare the effect of total-etch and self-etch adhesives (SEAs) on the bond strength of composite to GIC/(RMGIC) in the sandwich technique. A literature search was conducted using electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Ebscohost, and Scopus) limiting the year of publications from January 1, 2000, to September 30, 2018, to identify the relevant studies. All the cross-references of the selected studies were also screened. In vitro studies on extracted human teeth were selected. A total of 10 articles were included in this review. A conclusion was drawn that SEAs when used in the sandwich technique resulted in greater bond strength in comparison to total-etch adhesives. Moreover, increased bond strength was achieved when the primer was employed on unset GIC as compared to set GIC. Furthermore, the application of SEAs over uncured RMGIC (co-curing technique) resulted in better bond strengths as compared to their application over cured RMGIC.
Keywords: Bond strength; composite resins; dentin-bonding agents; glass-ionomer cements.
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