The influence of tubule density and area of solid dentin on bond strength of two adhesive systems to dentin

Purpose: To determine the correlation between the tubule density (TD) and the area occupied by solid dentin (ASD) with the bond strength of one conventional and one self-etching adhesive system to dentin. Materials and Methods: The crown of extracted human third molars was transversally sectioned with a diamond saw to expose either superficial, middle, or deep dentin. The three groups of dentin surfaces were randomly divided and bonded with either Clearfil Liner Bond 2V (LB) or Prime & Bond 2.1 (PB) adhesive systems according to manufacturer's directions. Resin composite buildup crowns (10.0 mm high) were incrementally constructed on the bonded surfaces and the teeth stored in water at 37°C. After 24 h of storage, the teeth were vertically, serially sectioned in both x and y directions to obtain several bonded sticks of approximately 0.7 mm² cross-sectional area. Each stick was tested in tension in a EMIC DL-500 tester at 0.5 mm/min until failure. After testing, the dentin side of the fractured specimen was gently abraded with a 1000-grit SiC paper, etched with 37% phosphoric acid for 15 s and allowed to air dry. SEM micrographs at 1000X and 4000X magnification were taken to permit calculation of the TD (number of tubules/mm²) and ASD (% of total area) at the site of fracture. Correlation between TD and ASD with the bond strength data was performed by linear regression. All statistical analysis was done with a = 0.05. Results: Overall bond strength (MPa) for LB was 26.0 ± 10.2, and 42.6 ± 15.2 for PB. There was a significant direct relationship between bond strength and ASD for both materials (r2 = 0.20, p < 0.05 and r² = 0.66, p < 0.01, respectively for LB and PB). PB bond strength dropped significantly as the TD increased (r² = 0.63, p < 0.05), while LB was not sensitive to TD (r² = 0.05, p > 0.05). Mean bond strength of PB was significantly higher than LB for both superficial and middle dentin (p < 0.05), while there was no significant difference for deep dentin (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Regional variations in TD and ASD may modify bond strength of both conventional and self-etching adhesive systems. Bonding sites with larger ASD seem to yield higher bond strengths regardless of the type of adhesive system used.