Effects of calcium-containing desensitizers on the bonding stability of an etch-and-rinse adhesive against long-term water storage and pH cycling

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of two calcium-containing desensitizing pastes on the bonding stability of an etch-and-rinse (E&R) adhesive to dentine. After dentine hypersensitivity model established, dentine surfaces were assigned one of the following pretreatment: Group 1, no desensitizer; Group 2, CPP-ACP; and Group 3, Novamin. Specimens were then bonded with an E&R adhesive. Beams from each tooth were randomly divided into three subgroups and then subjected to microtensile bond strength (MTBS) test after 24 h; 12 months of water storage; or 15 runs of pH cycling. Failure modes, nanoleakage, and tubule-occluding effectiveness were analyzed. Results showed that CPP-ACP- or Novamin-pretreated specimens mainly preserved the bonding strength after 12 months of water storage, while effective tubule occlusion could be observed. The results suggested that the calcium-containing desensitizers were compatible pretreatment for bonding with E&R adhesives to obtain reliable long-term bonding strength and prevention of post-operative sensitivity.