RESUMO
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Despite the advances in materials and techniques, adhesion to dentin is challenging because of the complex composition of dentin's mineral, organic, and fluid phases. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the bond strength of 2 different resin cements (conventional and self-adhesive) with or without previous dentin sealing and the effect of interim cement. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-five molars were embedded into acrylic resin blocks and a flat dentin surface was exposed. Twenty teeth (n=5 per group) were treated with the conventional resin cement associated with etch-and-rinse or self-etch adhesive approaches, applied before (immediate dentin sealing) or after (delayed dentin sealing) the application/removal of interim cement. Another 25 teeth (n=5, per group) were treated with self-adhesive resin cement with (self-etch mode [immediate dentin sealing or delayed dentin sealing]) or without adhesive application. Furthermore, in the self-adhesive resin cement group, the application of polyacrylic acid for dentin etching before cementation was evaluated. Composite resin blocks were cemented onto flat, treated dentin surfaces, and the assemblies were sectioned into bar-shaped specimens for microtensile bond strength testing. The data were subjected to 1-way ANOVA followed by the post-hoc Tukey test (α=.05). The failure patterns were classified as cohesive, adhesive, or mixed. RESULTS: The application of adhesive before interim cement (immediate dental sealing) promoted the highest values of bond strength for both resin cements (P<.001). For self-adhesive resin cement, polyacrylic acid-enhanced bond strength after the application of interim cement. CONCLUSIONS: The application of dental adhesive immediately after tooth preparation (immediate dentin sealing) and before the use of an interim cement promoted the highest values of bond strength to dentin with the resin cements tested.