Shear bond strength to sclerotic dentin using self-ecthing and total etching techniques: an in vitro study.

Bonding to dentin is more difficult to achieve when compared to enamel due to its variable histological features^1; in some situations, physiological and pathological post-eruption changes may further result in sclerotic dentin^2 that is less receptive to bonding protocols designed for sound dentin^3. These lesions are well known to respond to etching and bonding differently from normal dentin, leading to complications during clinical treatment^4,5. Studies have shown that the sclerotic casts which obliterated the dentinal tubules were still present after acid conditioning the sclerotic dentin, resulting in minimal or no resin tag formation. Furthermore the zone of resin-impregnated sclerotic dentin was found to be much thinner than the one observed in normal dentin^6,7,8. The bonding scenario may further be complicated by the presence of bacteria overgrowth^9, and their entrapment within the surface hypermineralized layer of these lesions^10.