The use of sodium ascorbate to recover the bond strength to sodium hypochlorite-treated dentin: a scoping review

This scoping review aimed to investigate whether sodium ascorbate can recover the bond strength of resin composite restorations to sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl)-treated dentin. The protocol of this study, available online (https://osf.io/psj3v/), followed the Joana Briggs Institute guidelines. The PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews was used to reporting. <i>In vitro</i> studies evaluating the effect of sodium ascorbate on NaOCl-treated dentin and resin composite restorations, regardless of the adhesive material used, were included without time restriction. The search and study screening were conducted in Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science by two independent researchers. A descriptive analysis was performed and the PRILE 2021 guidelines were used to assess the risk bias of the included studies. The initial search yielded 941 studies, of which only 7 studies were included. The findings revealed that extracted third molars were the most used samples, and there was a significant variation in the NaOCl concentration employed. In general, sodium ascorbate effectively restored the compromised bond strength in dentin treated with different NaOCl concentrations. Furthermore, regarding the failure mode, the most prevalent observed was mixed failure. This scoping review showed that sodium ascorbate appears to effectively recover the bond strength of resin composite restorations to dentin treated with NaOCl. However, it is important to note the limited number of studies and the heterogeneity observed.