Effectiveness of EDTA in restorative procedures with self-etching adhesives

Abstract Introduction Self-etching adhesives have simplified adhesive technique and decreased the postoperative sensitivity. When applied on dentin, it acts on the smear layer, but it is still a challenge in the effectiveness of this removal. A substance used as a pre-treatment for the removal of the smear layer is disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Objective To evaluate the effects of EDTA in association with self-etching adhesive systems on micro-shear bond strength. Material and method The occlusal surfaces of 72 extracted human third molars were sectioned to expose a flat dentin surface. The prepared teeth were divided into: dentin without pre-treatment; dentin treated with 0.1M EDTA; dentin treated with 0.5M EDTA. Each group received treatment of 3 self-etching adhesive systems: Single Bond Universal (SBU), AdheSE (AdheSE), and Clearfil SE Bond (CSEB). The adhesive area was delimited and positioned a transparent matrix for insertion with Z250XT composite resin followed by polymerization for 40 seconds. After 24h of storage, the teeth were submitted to the micro-shear test. The data were analyzed statistically using the Two-Way ANOVA and Bonferroni tests, considering a level of significance of 5%. Result There was no statistically significant difference in bond strength between dentin pre-treatments (p = 0.8353), but showed a significant difference between CSEB and AdheSE adhesives (p <0.05), showing similarity between CSEB and SBU, and between SBU and AdheSE. Conclusion Dentin pretreatment with EDTA solution did not affect bond strength with any of the self-etching adhesive systems used.