Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the bond stability and the change in interfacial ultra-structure of a conventional glass-ionomer cement bonded to dentin, with and without pre-treatment using a polyalkenoic acid conditioner.
Methods: The occlusal dentin surfaces of six teeth were ground flat. Glass-ionomer cement was bonded to the surfaces either with or without polyalkenoic acid conditioning. The teeth were sectioned into 1-mm2 stick-shaped specimens. The specimens obtained were randomly assigned to two groups with different periods of storage in water: 1 week and 1 year. The micro-tensile bond strength (μTBS) was determined for each storage time. Additional specimens were prepared for Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM); they were produced with or without prior polyalkenoic acid conditioning in the same way as in the μTBS test.
Results: There was no significant difference in μTBS to conditioned dentin and non-conditioned dentin (p > 0.05). The failures appeared to be of a mixed nature, although aging caused more areas of cohesive than adhesive failure in both groups. The TEM observation showed an intermediate layer, a matrix-rich layer and a partially demineralized layer in the polyalkenoic acid conditioned group.
Significance: Aging did not reduce the bond strength of the conventional glass-ionomer cement to dentin with or without the use of a polyalkenoic acid conditioner.
Keywords: Adhesion; Dentin; Glass-ionomer cement; Micro-tensile bond strength; Transmission Electron Microscopy.
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