Influence of etching time and bonding strategies on the microshear bond strength of self- and light-cured pit-and-fissure sealants

Abstract

This study evaluated the impact of extended etching and bonding strategies on the microshear bond strength of three sealant materials. Two pit-and-fissure sealants [FluroShield, Dentsply (light-cured) and AlphaSeal, DFL (self-cured)] and one light-cured flowable composite resin (Permaflo, Ultradent) were evaluated according to different enamel etching times (15 s or 30 s) and bonding procedures (no adhesive application, application of primer/hydrophobic resin or hydrophobic resin only). Intact enamel blocks were obtained from bovine teeth and sealed via the tested protocols. After 24 h, the microshear bond strength test was performed in a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Failure modes were classified by stereomicroscopy. Data were submitted to a three-way ANOVA and to Tukey's test (α=0.05). There was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) among the materials. Permaflo showed higher bond strength when etched for 30 s alone. Enamel overetching decreased the bond strength of the light-cured sealant. Primer/bond previous treatment improved bond performance for AlphaSeal. In conclusion, from the tested conditions, all sealant materials presented similar bond strength values in relation to bonding protocol and etching time. The flowable composite can be used as a pit-and-fissure sealant. The use of a three-step adhesive system was essential for the self-cured sealant application.

Shear bond strength and microleakage results for three experimental self-etching primer compositions for pit and fissure sealing

“…It is important to note that some studies have shown higher SBS values for self-etching primers, such as Scotchbond Multi-Purpose plus Alpha Seal (30.7 MPa after 1 day of water storage [15]); Scotchbond Multi-Purpose plus Fluoroshield (18.7 MPa after 1 day of water storage [15]); XenoIII plus Eco-S (19.7 MPa after 1 day of water storage [16]); and XenoIII plus Cilinpro (20.8 MPa after 1 day of water storage [16]). Importantly, some author groups pretreated the enamel with phosphoric acid before applying the self-etching primer, which limits the comparability [16].…”

“…Importantly, some author groups pretreated the enamel with phosphoric acid before applying the self-etching primer, which limits the comparability [16]. In addition, the reduced phosphoric etching contact time in the control groups might lead to a less-pronounced microretentive etching pattern and a comparatively reduced SBS in control groups [15, 16]. With respect to the methodological details of the aforementioned studies, it should be noted that aging protocols, particularly the length of water storage and the number of thermocycles, differ significantly throughout the in vitro protocols and may also influence the results.…”

The Use of Dental Sealing in Cluj, Romania: Frequency, Materials and Techniques - A Questionnaire Study

“…The etching time, when composite resins are used, is less than 30 seconds (59%) and total etch is mainly used as a bonding system (52%). There are no statistically significant differences concerning the bond strength value between different etching times and different bonding strategies [ 16 ]. Temporary teeth need more etching time because of their irregular layer of a prismatic enamel [ 17 ].…”

Current possibilities in occlusal caries management

“…A very important decision during occlusal caries management is the selection of restorative material for pit and fissure sealing. Many different in vitro and in vivo studies have been undertaking and analyzing those results, it may be concluded that resin-based sealants are still the gold standard and best choice for everyday clinical practice (41,42). Other materials used for pit and fissure sealing are less effective than resin-based sealants (43).…”