Bond strengths of two adhesive systems to dentin contaminated with a hemostatic agent

This study evaluated the bond strength of a total-etch and a self-etch adhesive to dentin contaminated with a hemostatic agent containing aluminum chloride (AlCl3). Eighteen occlusal dentin discs were prepared from human molars. Each disc was ground and sectioned into two halves, one for normal dentin and the other for contaminated dentin. The specimens of both normal and contaminated dentin were randomly divided into three groups and treated with the following materials: 1) Excite (EX); 2) Clearfil SE Bond with 20-second primer application time (CB 20) and 3) Clearfil SE Bond with 40-second primer application time (CB 40). The microshear bond strength specimens were prepared using the resin composite Clearfil APX. The bond strengths were evaluated on a universal testing machine. Statistical analysis was performed at alpha=0.05. The surface micromorphology and aluminum content of the different dentin conditions were also examined. In EX, no significant difference was found between the bond strengths of normal dentin and contaminated dentin. The bond strength of CB20 to contaminated dentin was significantly lower than that to normal dentin. The extension of primer application time from 20 to 40 seconds significantly increased the bond strength of CB to contaminated dentin.