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Objective: To assess the efficacy of an electrically assisted application technique on dentine wettability (water contact angle measurements) and to determine the promoted surface roughness of dentine after applying 37% phosphoric acid etching, a self-etching primer or a self-etching adhesive system. Methods: Wettability was assessed on 30 caries-free extracted human third molars. Specimens were sectioned parallel to the occlusal surface to expose moderately deep dentine and ground flat (water-wet 180-grit SiC) to provide uniform flat surfaces. 37% H(3)PO(4), Clearfil SE Bond (CSEB) primer or Prompt-L-Pop (PLP) adhesive system were applied on dentine surfaces. In half of the specimens, the electric impulse-assisted application technique/ElectroBond-assisted application was followed. Contact angle measurements were performed to assess wettability using the Axisymmetric Drop Shape Analysis technique. Additional surfaces were conditioned for atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis. Two-way ANOVA, Student's t and Student-Newman-Keuls tests were performed (P < 0.05). Results: PLP-treated dentine showed the highest intertubular roughness and the lowest dentine wettability. ElectroBond application reduced water contact angles when dentine was treated with H(3)PO(4) or Clearfil SE Bond primer, but not when dentine was treated with PLP. Conclusions: The use of electric current improved wettability of dentine surface following application of phosphoric acid and a mild self-etch primer, but not self-etch adhesive. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Objective. The aim is to determine if superficial or deep dentine microhardness (MH) is affected by different chemical dentine pre-treatments performed for resin bonding. Methods. Dentine discs of superficial (SD) and deep dentine (DD) were obtained by transversally sectioning the crowns of human third molars. Knoop MH was measured after different treatments: (1) polished up to 4000 grit, (2) polished and etched (37% ortophosphoric acid for 15 s), (3) resin (Single Bond -SB-) infiltrated dentine after acid etching, (4) polished, etched and treated with 5% NaOCl for 2 min, (5) resin infiltrated (SB) after etching and NaOCl treatment. For resin infiltrated surfaces care was taken in order to remove the excess adhesive layer, and obtain infiltrated dentine, by measuring thickness of the sample before resin infiltration and polishing after resin infiltration until obtaining the initial thickness of the sample. Indentations (n = 20) were performed on moist surfaces with a standard Knoop MH tester (20 g, 5 s). Data were expressed in Knoop Hardness Numbers (KHN) and analysed by ANOVA and multiple comparisons (P < 0.05). Results. Dentine KHN decreased on both SD and DD after acid etching. NaOCl treatment after acid etching did not affect MH on SD, but KHN of DD was towered. Resin infiltration increased KHN but did not recover the initial MH values in both SD and DD. Conclusions. Treating dentine with either H3PO4 or NaOCl caused marked reduction of its surface hardness and subsequent resin infiltration was not capable to restore it. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.