Effect of thermal cycling on micro-tensile bond strength of composite restorations bonded with multimode adhesive

Objective: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of thermal cycling on the micro-tensile bond strength (Mtbs) of multimode adhesive agents. Materials and methods: Eight freshly extracted caries-free human third molars were used. The flat dentin surfaces were prepared and polished with 600-grit SiC abrasive paper for standard smear layer formation. The teeth were restored using Single Bond Universal Adhesive [(total etch (G1, G2)/self etch (G3, G4)] + Filtek Z550 and All-Bond Universal Adhesive [(total etch (G5, G6)/self etch (G7, G8)] + Aelite all-purpose. The specimens in groups G1, G3, G5, and G7 were subjected to thermal cycling (1000 cycles at 5–55 °C, for a 30 s dwell time), while the specimens in other groups were not exposed to an aging procedure. The Mtbs test was determined in all procedures. Data were submitted to three-way ANOVA and post hoc tests. The significance level was set at = 0.05. Results: Group five was highly affected by the thermal cycling following the total etch procedure, while group one was not significantly affected. Group seven was highly affected by thermal cycling, while group three was not significantly affected after the self etch procedure. Group eight exhibited a higher mean Mtbs value after the thermal cycling procedure. Conclusion: The bond strength of multimode (universal) adhesives was found to be material dependent. The total etch procedure showed a higher Mtbs value than the self etch procedure.