Laser irradiation after the immediate application of dentin bonding systems (DBSs) and prior to their polymerization has been proposed to increase bond strength. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of diode laser irradiation (λ = 970 nm) on simplified DBSs through microtensile bond strength tests. Forty healthy human molars were randomly distributed among four groups (n = 10) according to DBSs used [Adper™ SingleBond 2 (SB) and Adper™ EasyOne (EO)], and the respective groups were irradiated with a diode laser (SB-L and EO-L). After bonding procedures and composite resin build-ups, teeth were stored in deionized water for 7 days and then sectioned to obtain stick-shaped specimens (1.0 mm 2 ). The microtensile test was performed at 0.5 mm/min, yielding bond strength values in MPa, which were evaluated by two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's test (p < 0.05) for individual comparisons. For both adhesive systems, diode laser irradiation promoted significant increases in bond strength values (SB: 33.49 ± 6.77; SB-L: 43.69 ± 8.15; EO: 19.67 ± 5.86; EO-L: 29.87 ± 6.98). These results suggest that diode laser irradiation is a promising technique for achieving better performance of adhesive systems on dentin.

This in vitro study evaluated the effect of sodium bicarbonate and sodium ascorbate on the microtensile bond strength of an etch-and-rinse system to bleached bovine enamel. Sixty bovine enamel blocks (4x4 mm) were flattened and randomly allocated into 5 groups: G1 (negative control): without treatment; G2 (positive control): bleached with 35% hydrogen peroxide (HP); G3: bleached and stored for 7 days in artificial saliva before restorative procedures; G4: bleached and treated with 10% sodium bicarbonate solution for 5 min; G5: bleached and treated with 10% sodium ascorbate hydrogel for 15 min. HP gel was applied twice (20 min each, except in G1) and the adhesive restorations were performed. After 24 h, the specimens were sectioned into sticks and submitted to microtensile bond strength testing with a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min (n=12). As a complementary visual observation, the enamel surfaces of the G1 and G2 specimens were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA (p<0.05). The means (standard deviation) were: G1: 24.22±7.74; G2: 18.29±5.88; G3: 40.88±7.95; G4: 19.95±5.67 and G5: 24.43±6.43. Adhesive failures were predominant in all groups. The comparison between the treatments indicates that waiting 7 days after bleaching is still the most effective approach. When this waiting period is not possible, application of sodium ascorbate or sodium bicarbonate seems to be a good alternative. Therefore, the practicality of obtaining sodium bicarbonate in the bleaching kits and its higher stability enables its clinical use.

Simplified dentin-bonding systems are clinically employed for most adhesive procedures, and they are prone to hydrolytic degradation. Objective This study aimed to investigate the effect of laser diode irradiation on the degree of conversion (DC), water sorption (WS), and water solubility (WSB) of these bonding systems in an attempt to improve their physico-mechanical resistance.Material and Methods Two bonding agents were tested: a two-step total-etch system [Adper™ Single Bond 2, 3M ESPE (SB)] and a universal system [Adper™ Single Bond Universal, 3M ESPE (SU)]. Square-shaped specimens were prepared and assigned into 4 groups (n=5): SB and SU (control groups – no laser irradiation) and SB-L and SU-L [SB and SU laser (L) – irradiated groups]. DC was assessed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance. Additional uncured resin samples (≈3.0 µL, n=5) of each adhesive were also scanned for final DC calculation. For WS/WSB tests, similar specimens (n=10) were prepared and measured by monitoring the mass changes after dehydration/water storage cycles. For both tests, adhesive fluids were dropped into standardized Teflon molds (6.0×6.0×1.0 mm), irradiated with a 970-nm laser diode, and then polymerized with an LED-curing unit (1 W/cm2).Results Laser irradiation immediately before photopolymerization increased the DC (%) of the tested adhesives: SB-L>SB>SU-L>SU. For WS/WSB (μg/mm3), only the dentin bonding system (DBS) was a significant factor (p<0.05): SB>SU.Conclusion Irradiation with a laser diode improved the degree of conversion of all tested simplified dentin bonding systems, with no impact on water sorption and solubility.

The concern with the polymerization shrinkage of restorative resin composites also applies to resin cements. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of volume and polymerization mode on forces generated during polymerization shrinkage (FGPS) of resin cements. Two light-cured resin cements--Variolink II (VL; Ivoclar Vivadent) and Nexus 3 (NX; Kerr)--and two self-cured resin cements - Multilink (ML; Ivoclar Vivadent) and Cement Post (CP; Angelus) - were inserted between two rectangular steel bases (6x2 mm) with distance set at 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 mm, establishing a variation of volume. These steel bases were attached to a universal test machine with 50 kg load cell and forces (N) were registered for 10 min. Values of maximum forces generated by each material were subjected to two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test for individual comparisons (α=0.05). VL, NX and CP developed increasing FGPS as the volume of material increased, while ML presented the opposite behavior. It may be concluded that higher volume increases FGPS even with a concomitant decrease of C-factor, unless the resin cements present lower force generation rates as a function of time in combination with a low C-factor, resulting in stress relief and consequently lower values of FGPS.