Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
10
Dental Adhesives
10.1. Introduction
Dental adhesive systems are commonly employed to achieve a
strong bond between the tooth substrate (dentin or enamel) and
restorative material used. Sustained progress in the field of dental
adhesive technology has provided clinicians with products and
systems allowing for an increasingly conservative approach to the
esthetic restoration of damaged teeth. All of them are supposedly
capable of creating strong and reliable bonds to the remaining tooth
tissues. These adhesive systems require the conditioning of dental
tissues in order to achieve adhesion. This is done by acid etching that
promotes the superficial demineralization of the substrate allowing for
the replacement of minerals removed from the hard tissues by resin
monomers. Upon polymerization, they become micromechanically
interlocked in the created porosities [VAN 03]. However, the
heterogeneity and water content of dentin extracellular matrix (ECM),
infiltrated during the bonding process implies a weaker adhesion over
time as compared to enamel [DE 05, BRE 08]. Indeed, while
conditions for optimal bonding to enamel are now standard practice,
bonding to dentin remains dependent on understanding the variations
of the complex structure and properties of this substrate.
