Ultra-morphological studies on enamel-universal adhesive interface.

Nowadays, the universal adhesives are often used for silane application prior to application of self-adhesive resin cements. The purpose of this study was to evaluate enamel surface roughness and to observe the enamel-adhesive interface after acid-base challenge using three different self-adhesive resin cements combined with universal adhesives. Three self-adhesive resin cements: PANAVIA SA Luting Cement Plus (SA), Calibra Universal (CA) and MaxCem Elite Chroma (MC) which in conjunction with the particular universal adhesives: Clearfil Universal Bond Quick (UQ), Prime&Bond Universal (PB) and Optibond Universal (OB) were tested. Thirty enamel surfaces from caries-free human premolars were ground and bonded with the tested self-adhesive resin cements combined with universal adhesives. The surface roughness test (Sa) with or without applying adhesives was performed with 3D-CLSM. The interface of the bonded specimens after acid-base challenge was also examined by SEM. The Sa of OB was significantly higher than those of PB and UQ. There were statistically significant differences among all of the groups (p < 0.05). An acid-base resistant zone (ABRZ) was observed in all groups, however, formation of the ABRZ was material dependent. OB provided most etching performance to enamel of human premolars and MC group with OB presented durability against acid-base challenge. Nowadays, the combination of self-adhesive resin cement and universal adhesive may be a viable option for a reliable bonding performance and bonding durability in indirect restorative dentistry.