The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two different concentrations of silver diammine fluoride (SDF) on dentin bonding performance. Human mid-coronal dentin was treated with either distilled water (control), 3.8%SDF or 38%SDF for 3 min. A two-step self-etch adhesive and resin composite were applied according to manufacturer's instructions. After thermocycling (TC) at 0, 5,000 and 10,000 cycles, microtensile bond strength (µTBS) testing and morphological assessment of resin-dentin bonding interface were performed. At 0 TC, µTBSs of 3.8% and 38%SDF were significantly reduced (p<0.05). At 5,000 and 10,000 TC, µTBSs of 3.8%SDF were comparable to those of the control group, whereas the µTBSs of 38%SDF were significantly lower (p<0.05). Acid-base resistance zone formation was observed in all groups, however, slope-shaped formation was identified only in the SDF groups. The µTBSs and interfacial morphology were influenced by concentration of SDF and also TC.
Keywords: Acid-base resistance zone; Microtensile bond strength; Silver diammine fluoride; Thermocycling.