The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) on the shear bond strength (SBS) using three bonding systems in primary dentin. Forty-five sound extracted primary molars were selected. The crowns were longitudinally sectioned, embedded in polystyrene resin, and flattened until a dentin surface was reached. The samples were assigned to 6 groups (n = 15): G1, Single Bond (SB); G2, NaOCl + SB; G3, Prime & Bond 2.1 (PB); G4, NaOCl + PB; G5, Clearfil SE Bond (CSE); G6, NaOCl + CSE. All the adhesive systems were applied according to the manufacturers' instructions, except for the application of 10% NaOCl solution for 60 s in groups 2, 4 (after acid etching), and 6 (before applying adhesive system). The composite resin was placed in increments in a mold and light cured for 20 s. The samples were stored in distilled water at 37°C for 24 h and submitted to SBS testing with a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. The failure sites were observed with SEM. The data were treated with ANOVA and Tukey's tests (p 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups with or without treatment of the substrate with NaOCl, regardless the material used. The SBS averages in MPa (± SD) were: G1: 15.8(1.9)a; G2: 14.6(1.3)a; G3: 10.2(0.7)a; G4: 9.9(0.2)a; G5: 13.3(1.2)a; and G6: 10.7(1.0)a. There was a statistically significant difference between the materials (SB >= CSE >= PB). Mixed failure was the failure type most frequently observed for all groups. Dentin surface treatment with NaOCl did not affect the resin-dentin bonding strength in primary teeth. Keywords: sodium hypochlorite, primary teeth, dentin bonding