Background/purpose: The restoration longevity depends on a high dentin-composite bond quality. This study investigated learning outcomes when using etch-and-rinse and self-etch adhesives among general practitioners in a hands-on bonding test course.
Methods: We recruited 30 general practitioners to perform shear bond strength (SBS) tests using five adhesives: one Peak® Universal Bond (PUB) etch-and-rinse and four Futurabond DC, Single Bond universal (SBU), Versa Optibond (VOB), and Tetric-N Bond Self-Etch (TNS) self-etch adhesives. SBS tests were conducted at pre-demonstration (pre-demo), post-demonstration (post-demo), and 24-h storage (delayed bonding) stages. SBS data were analyzed with paired Student's t-tests. We defined 17 MPa as "qualified bond strength (QBS)". The percentages of samples with SBS achieving QBS were analyzed using Mantel-Haenszel chi-square tests. The fracture surfaces of the samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Results: Using PUB caused no significant differences in SBS between pre- and post-demo samples, whereas the SBS of the two self-etch adhesives (SBU and VOB) improved in post-demo samples (p < 0.05). SBU showed the highest percentage of samples with SBS achieving QBS in all three groups (pre-demo = 70%, post-demo = 83%, and delayed bonding = 76.5%). The QBS percentages of VOB and TNS notably improved from 0% (pre-demo) to 71.4% and 23.5% (post-demo), respectively. SEM indicated bubble-like defects at the dentin-resin interfaces in cases of low SBS.
Conclusion: Bonding performance is both operator- and product-dependent. The continuing education hands-on course does help dentists to improve the bond strength especially when the self-etch system is used.
Keywords: Dentists' performance; Etch-and-rinse; Hands-on course; Qualified bond strength; Self-etch.
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