Purpose: To evaluate the long-term effects of etching time, adhesive system and storage condition on resin bond strength to dentin.
Methods: Twenty-five extracted human third molars had a flat dentin surface exposed. Two total-etch adhesives, Single Bond (SB) and One-Step (OS), and one self-etching adhesive system, Clearfil Liner Bond 2V (CL), were used. The adhesives were bonded to dentin according to their respective manufacturer's instructions. Additional groups of SB and OS systems were created, in which the phosphoric acid etching time was doubled (30 seconds). After bonding, build-up crowns were constructed incrementally with Z250 resin composite and the teeth were stored for 24 hours in distilled water at 37 degrees C. The teeth were serially and vertically sectioned to obtain several bonded beams with approximately 0.8 mm2 of cross-sectional area. Beams were tested in microtensile (0.6 mm/minute) either immediately (control) or after storage for 6 months or 1 year in either distilled water or mineral oil. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison tests.
Results: Significant reductions (P< 0.05) in bond strength were observed after both long-term storage periods in water for all the materials, regardless of the etching time for SB and OS. Bond strengths were either preserved or increased in specimens stored in oil.