Impact of shelf-life simulation on bonding performance of universal adhesive systems.

Objectives: To evaluate the micro-tensile bond strength to dentin (μTBS), the degree of conversion (DC) and nanoleakage expression (NL) of eight dental adhesives considering their expiry date (as-received, half-life and or end of shelf-life) after shelf-life simulation.

Methods: Five universal adhesives (Single Bond Universal, SBU; Tetric Bond Universal, TBU; OneCoat Universal, OCU; OptiBond Universal, OBU; and Prime&Bond Elect, P&B), two two-step self-etch adhesives (Clearfil SE, CSE; and AdheSE, ASE) and one two-step etch-and-rinse adhesive (Adper Singlebond 2, ASB) were evaluated. Shelf-life was simulated by storing the materials in an acclimatization chamber for different periods of time. The μTBS was tested in accordance with ISO/TS 11,405. DC was evaluated by means of FTIR spectroscopy. NL was evaluated after ammoniacal silver challenge. The significance level of α=0.05 was used for all statistical analyses.

Results: The μTBS to dentin of TBU, P&B, ASE, and ASB adhesive systems remained stable throughout the shelf-life periods evaluated, while for SBU, OCU, OBU, and CSE, decreased significantly after evaluation in the 'half-life' or 'end of shelf-life' condition (p<0.05). Except for P&B, ASE and OBU, the degree of conversion significantly decreased after the shelf-life simulation (p<0.05). OCU, ASE, and CSE showed significantly increased percentage of silver deposition within the adhesive layer (p<0.05).

Significance: Storing conditions and progressively longer storage time affect the performance of universal adhesives systems.