Aim: Bioactive materials are of interest for dental restoration in children with high caries risk. An important parameter for clinical success is durable adhesion to tooth hard tissues. Therefore, the present study evaluated dentin bonding behavior of two bioactive materials (ACTIVA BioACTIVE-RESTORATIVE [Acti, Pulpdent, Watertown, MA, USA] using All Bond Universal [BISCO, Schaumburg, IL, USA], and Cention N bonded with Adhese Universal [Cent, Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein]) compared to a bonded resin composite (Filtek Z250 [FZ250, 3M Oral Care Dental Products, St. Paul, MN, USA] with OptiBond FL [Kerr, Biberach, Deutschland]) and a conventional glass ionomer cement (Fuji Triage pink [FTp, GC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan]) using Cavity Conditioner (GC Europe, Löwen, Belgien).Materials and methods: Twenty-eight caries-free third molars were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 7). Crowns were ground flat to expose dentin. Specimens were pretreated according to the manufacturers' instructions and built-up in 0.5-2 mm layers with composite. After storage (24 h at 37 °C in distilled water), specimens were cut into resin-dentin beams (0.36 mm2 for Acti, Cent, and FZ250; 1 mm2 for FTp) and subjected to microtensile bond strength testing. Additional micromorphological analyses were done using both light and scanning electron microscopy. Statistical appraisal was carried out using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA; modified least significant difference [LSD] test; p <0.05). Results: Dentin bond strengths were (in MPa, numbers I-III indicate significant differences between groups): FZ250: 63.9 ± 8.3 (I); Acti: 52.1 ± 8.2 (II); Cent: 51.4 ± 10.9 (II); FTp: 3.7 ± 0.9 (III). A pronounced hybrid layer was only found in FZ250. The investigated bioactive restorative materials showed lower dentin adhesion compared to the bonded resin composite, but 13-fold higher values than the GIC (FTp).Conclusion: When adhesively bonded, the bioactive materials under investigation exhibited good dentin bonding behavior. In minimally invasive restorations, we recommend using them with a separate bonding step. However, further studies must show whether this impairs the caries-inhibiting, bioactive effect of the materials.
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