Aim: This study aimed to detect how blood and haemostatic agent contamination affects the shear bond strength of self-etch and total-etch adhesives to dentin and to compare the difference in bond strength due to contamination and decontamination after adhesive light curing.
Materials and Methods: 130 sound wet human molars were used to prepare a flat dentin surface on its buccal side. Randomly, they were divided into 2 groups (n=65) based on the adhesives Group 1: (Prime & Bond Select™ Dentsply Detrey GmbH, 78467 Konstanz, Germany) and Group 2: (Prime & Bond Etch & Rinse™ Dentsply Detrey GmbH, 78467 Konstanz, Germany). Each main group has further divided into 3 sub-groups (n-30) based on the type of contaminants used (blood and haemostatic agent). Based on the decontaminants used (air, water, NaOCl) after adhesive light curing, these contaminated groups were further subdivided into 3 sub-groups (n=10). Blood and haemostatic were applied after the application of the adhesives. Nanoceramic composite resin was applied as a cylindrical disc on top of dentine surface, that were subjected to shear bond strength test (Istrone®). A stereomicroscopic evaluation was done to evaluate the modes of failure.
Statistical analysis: Three-way ANOVA following Scheffe post hoc test using software SPSS version 20 was used.
Results: Self-etch adhesive system revealed the highest shear bond strength than a total-etch adhesive system after contamination with blood or haemostatic agent. The mean difference of shear bond strength (MPa) in both total-etch and self-etch between blood and the hemostatic agent was statistically significant (p<0.05). The highest was in self-etch haemostatic group and least in the total-etch haemostatic group.
Conclusion: Blood and haemostatic agent contamination reduced the shear bond strength of both adhesives to dentin. Among tested decontamination treatments, air drying produced the highest bond strength with blood contamination, and NaOCl application produced the highest bond strength with the haemostatic agent after adhesive light curing, but it was not sufficient to recover the bond strength in the contamination-free group.
