Methodological Comparison of Mechanical Tests to Evaluate the Dentin Bond Strength of Adhesive Systems

• Grant number: 24/18594-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Dental Materials
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Giannini
• Grantee: Paulo Matias Moreira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba (FOP). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This study aims to characterize four mechanical tests to assess bond strength and toughness. Tests will be compared based on data consistency, reproducibility, and clinical relevance. Human teeth will be selected following the protocol established by the Piracicaba Dental School Ethics Committee (FOP - UNICAMP). The dentin specimens will be prepared according to the requirements of each test. Microtensile, Microshear, and Fracture Toughness tests using the "Notchless Triangular Prism" and the "Mini-iFT" methods will be performed to evaluate two adhesive systems: a two-step self-etch primer (Clearfil SE Bond 2) and a universal adhesive (Tetric N-Bond Universal) in "etch-and-rinse" mode. The adhesive procedures will follow the manufacturer's instructions. The fracture pattern of the specimens will be evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at 35x magnification. The results from each test will be compared based on bond strength value, failure mode, and coefficient of variation. Bond strength and fracture toughness data will be statistically analyzed using SPSS software. If the assumptions of normality and homogeneity are met, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey's test (p < 0.05) will be conducted