[Response of dental pulp to self-etching adhesive systems used in indirect capping. A literature review].

Objective: To review the literature on dental pulp responses to self-etching adhesive systems used in indirect capping.
Material and Methods: Many studies in vitro and in vivo focused on biocompatibility of the self-etching adhesive system used in deep defects. Clinical and radiographic findings from animal and human studies are compared and discussed.
Results: Self-etching adhesive systems may be useful when applied to dentin. The results in animal studies cannot be extrapolated directly to humans. Many studies in vitro have shown that components of self-etching adhesive systems exhibit cytotoxic effects in contact with cell cultures.
Conclusions: The reaction of dental pulp to self-etching bonding agents depends on the depth of defect, type of agent, and method of application.