Effects of dentine moisture on the permeability of total-etch and one-step self-etch adhesives

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to compare the technique sensitivity of a one-bottle total-etch adhesive and a self-etch primer adhesive to the moisture condition of the dentine substrate.MethodsThe methods used were hydraulic conductance, light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.ResultsWhen the moisture conditions of the dentine surface are modified with respect to the standard, the bonded interfaces obtained with the one-bottle total-etch Adper Scotch Bond 1 XT (SB) and the all-in-one self-etch Adper Prompt L-Pop (AP) are morphologically highly perturbed. But, although this study also showed a significant (p < 0.01) relationship between increases in permeability of resin-bonded dentine and variations of dentine moisture conditions with SB, a significant relationship was found only for the influence of the over-wet condition with AP.ConclusionWithin the limitations of this study, the self-etch primer tested gave a greater reduction in dentine permeability than the one-bottle adhesive, while being more tolerant to handling. Although excess water should be avoided with both these systems, air-drying can be an alternative to wet-bonding with the self-etch primers, thus reducing the sensitivity to technique.