Objective: This study compared the microshear bond strengths (MSBS) of four self-etching adhesives (Adper Scotchbond SE [SSE], Clearfil SE Bond [CSE], Clearfil S3 Bond [CS3] and One Coat 7.0 [OC]) and an etch-and-rinse adhesive (Adper Single Bond Plus [SB]) when bonded to two conventional glass ionomer cements (GICs) (Fuji IX GP EXTRA and Riva Self Cure). The null hypothesis tested was there is no difference in the adhesive ability of an etch-and-rinse adhesive and self-etching adhesives when bonded to GIC for up to 6 months.
Methods: The GICs were embedded in type III dental stone and wet ground with 1200-grit SiC paper. Twenty specimens were bonded for each adhesive according to manufacturers' instructions with a 1.5-mm bonding diameter. Specimens were stored at 100% humidity for 24 hours, 1 month, or 6 months. Microshear bond strengths were obtained using a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min. The results were calculated and analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey HSD test.
Results: SB had significantly lower MSBS than the four self-etching adhesives for all storage periods. MSBS at 6 months for SB was significantly lower than at 1 month. There were no significant differences in MSBS among the self-etching adhesives. Cohesive failure within GIC was the most common failure mode observed.
Conclusions: SB showed a lower bond strength than the self-etching adhesives when bonded to conventional GICs for all storage periods. This might be a result of the phosphoric acid etching. However, cohesive strength of GIC was a limiting factor for the MSBS outcomes.