The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two concentrations of poly (acrylic acid) (10 and 25%), three treatments (untreated, passive conditioning, and active conditioning), and two storage conditions (24 hours in 37 degrees C water and thermal cycling) on the in vitro tensile bond strength of three commercial glass-ionomer liners to human dentin. Bond strengths to untreated dentin after storage for 24 hours ranged from 19.0 to 21.7 kg/cm2 for Glasionomer Base Cement, Cement/Liner, and Ketac-Bond, but dropped to a range of 4.9 to 9.7 kg/cm2 after thermal cycling. Active conditioning with 10% acid resulted in bond strengths after 24-hour storage that ranged from 23.5 to 44.0 kg/cm2, compared with values from 21.7 to 38.0 kg/cm2 with active conditioning using 25% acid. Active conditioning with 10% acid resulted in bond strengths after thermal cycling that were in the range of 15.8 to 27.4 kg/cm2 and were 80 to 320 percent higher than values resulting from passive conditioning under these conditions. Active conditioning with 10% acid for 30 seconds produced a bond strength for Glasionomer Base Cement of 44.0 kg/cm2, compared with a bond strength of 28.7 kg/cm2 for a 10-second active conditioning. Qualitative analysis of scanning electron photomicrographs showed that dentin tubules were opened to a greater extent by active conditioning with 25% acid than by passive conditioning with 10% acid.

In vitro tensile bond strengths of Photo Clearfil Bright (PB) and Clearfil Photo Posterior (CP) with Clearfil Photo Bond to human enamel and dentin were determined by a truncated cone bond test. Parameters tested were: four substrates (etched enamel; unetched dentin, D1; dentin conditioned with 10% polyacrylic acid, D2; and dentin etched with phosphoric acid, D3); two techniques (bonding agent prepolymerized, and bonding agent and composite polymerized together); and two storage times in 37 degrees C water (one day and one week). Bond strengths of PB and CP to enamel ranged from 15 to 25 MN/m2 and 19 to 24 MN/m2, respectively. Bond strengths of PB to dentin ranged from 10.2 to 13.6 MN/m2 for D1, 8.2 to 10.5 MN/m2 for D2, and 5.5 to 7.8 MN/m2 for D3. Bond strengths of CP to dentin ranged from 7.6 to 12.3 MN/m2 for D1, 6.8 to 9.5 MN/m2 for D2, and 4.6 to 6.7 MN/m2 for D3. Bond strengths were higher to enamel than to dentin. The highest bond strengths to dentin were to unetched dentin, followed by conditioned dentin, and then etched dentin. Polymerization techniques and storage times did not affect the bond strengths.

Home bleaching techniques have been applied as a safe and effective bleaching procedure. Many manufacturers are now marketing home tooth-bleaching products. The purpose of this study was to compare a new bleaching product, Polanight (PN) with a widely used home bleaching product, Opalescence (OP). Fifty-eight healthy Japanese volunteers of both sexes (18 to 47 years of age) were selected. Using a simultaneous split-mouth protocol, custom-made trays with PN and OP were applied to the maxillary right anterior teeth and left anterior teeth, respectively. The shades of the maxillary canine teeth were measured with a portable chromameter (Shade Eye Ex) at the first examination and at 4 weeks (after 2-week bleaching and 2-week rest). Tooth shade changes were analyzed using the Commission Internationale d'Eclairage (CIE) Lab units. Means of whiteness-blackness difference (DeltaL*), redness-greenness difference (Deltaa*), and yellowness-blueness difference (Deltab*) were 4.00, -1.28 and -7.53 for PN, and 2.54, -0.99, and -5.56 for OP, respectively. Means of color difference (DeltaE*) were 9.23 and 7.78 for PN and OP, respectively. Treatment with either agent demonstrated significant bleaching effects produced by the treatment. The new product, PN, showed significant differences in DeltaL* (P < 0.05) and Deltab* (P < 0.005), but not in the redness-greenness (a*) value when compared with OP. Bleaching with PN was considered more effective than that with OP in the young patient group and in the women.