Objective: Currently, the trend in dentin adhesion seems to be shifting from moist bonding systems to self-etching systems and from several application steps to single steps. However, recent studies have indicated that the performance of single-step adhesives was lower than the 2-step self-etch or total etch systems. In the present study, microtensile bond strength of a total etch, 2-step self-etch and single-step self-etch adhesives was comparatively evaluated. Method and Materials: The superficial occlusal dentin of 12 noncarious extracted human molars was exposed, finished with wet 600-grit silicon carbide paper, and a block of resin composite bonded with adhesives according to the manufacturers' instructions. The teeth were kept in tap water for 24 hours at 37°C and sectioned to produce beams, with adhesive areas of ± 0.9 mm2 (4 beams per tooth were obtained). The specimens were stressed at a crosshead speed of 1 mm per minute until the bonds ruptured. Results: The mean bond strengths were calculated as MPa and compared by performing analysis of variance and Tukey tests to identify significant differences between the materials (P = 0.05). The mean bond strength of Clearfil SE Bond was significantly higher than that of OptiBond Solo Plus and iBond (P .05). OptiBond Solo Plus gave significantly higher bond strengths than iBond (P .05). Conclusions: The self-etching adhesive system Clearfil SE Bond (2 step) had higher bond strength than the 1-bottle self-etching adhesive iBond (single application) and the 2-step single-bottle system OptiBond Solo Plus (total etch). However, the 1-bottle adhesive system OptiBond Solo Plus (total etch system) had higher bond strength than the 1-bottle self-etching adhesive system iBond. Keywords: acid etching, dentin, dentin adhesive, failure mode, layer, microtensile bond strength