Bonding characteristics to dentin walls of class II cavities, in vitro

Objectives: The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that bond strengths to intact class II cavity wall surfaces are lower than those measured on corresponding flat surfaces isolated by cutting away the rest of the cavity walls. Methods: Class II (MOD) cavities were prepared in extracted human third molars and then divided into two groups: Intact cavity bonding group or flat surface group. All prepared surfaces were acid-etched and bonded with Scotchbond Multi-Purpose Plus adhesive system and restored with Z100 resin composite. After storage in water for 2 days, the teeth were divided mesio-distally into two equal halves. One half was vertically serially sectioned, while the other half was horizontally serially sectioned to yield a series of 0.5 mm thick slabs. Each slab was trimmed into an hour-glass outline with the narrowest cross-sectional area at the region of interest (i.e., axial resin-dentin interface). Results: The mean bond strengths obtained in the cavity bonding group were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those of the flat bonding group. However, within either group, there were no significant consistent differences among the various regions. Significance: The large flat surfaces used in most laboratory bonding studies may overestimate the bond strengths that can be achieved in complex cavities prepared and restored under clinically relevant conditions.