Effect of dentin adhesives used as sealers and provisional cementation on bond strength of a resin cement to dentin

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of dentin adhesives employed as resin sealers and provisional cementation on the bond strengths of a resin cement to dentin. Methods: A two-step etch-and-rinse adhesive (Excite DSC - Group 1) and two-step self-etch adhesive (AdheSE - Group 2) were applied to exposed dentin surfaces prepared from human molars (N=4). Water was used instead of a resin sealer in control Groups 3 and 4. A eugenol-free provisional cement (except for Group 4) was applied to the treated surfaces. After storing in distilled water for 1 week, the provisional cement was removed and cylindrical composite blocks were luted with a resin cement (Variolink II). 0.9 × 0.9 mm sticks were produced from these luted specimens for microtensile bond testing and SEM examination. Results: One-way ANOVA revealed that neither the resin sealer nor the temporary eugenol-free cement had a negative effect on the final bond strength (P> 0.05). Mixed failures were predominantly identified from SEM.