Abstract
Recently, single-step self-etching adhesives have been introduced to clinics. Researches on single-step self-etching adhesive systems have revealed that the adhesives have good bonding performance under in vitro as well as in vivo conditions. However, some concerns about degradation of the resin-tooth interface remain because the adhesive contains water which releases hydrogen ions. The Adper™ Easy Bond self-etch adhesive has been developed to solve these problems, but there is little information on its clinical performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the short-term clinical performance of this single-step self-etch adhesive. A total of 41 restorations were placed with Adper™ Easy Bond in combination with resin composite Filtek™ Supreme DL. All restorations were evaluated using the modified USPHS criteria immediately after placement (baseline), and at 1-week, 3-month, and 6-month recalls. The results were as follows: 1. Pulpal responses, restoration failures, post-operative sensitivity and secondary caries were not detected in any of the cases during the observation period. 2. At the 6-month recall, 41 restorations were rated as Alpha for color match, anatomical form, surface roughness and marginal staining. 3. From the evaluation of marginal adaptation, only one restoration revealed a marginal gap formation detected by using explorer.