Effect of Metalloproteinase Inhibitors on Bond Strength of a Self-etching Adhesive on Erosively Demineralized Dentin

Purpose: To analyze the influence of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and chlorhexidine (CHX) on adhesive-dentin bond strength of a self-etch adhesive to sound dentin (SD) and eroded dentin (ED). Materials and Methods: Thirty-six middle-dentin samples were assigned to six groups (n = 6) according to pretreatment (DW: distilled water, control; 0.1% EGCG; or 2% CHX) and erosive challenge (presence or absence). Specimens were subjected to 2-h acquired pellicle formation, then half of them were exposed to 1% citric acid three times a day for five days. SD and ED were treated with the tested solutions for 60 s, and then Clearfil SE Bond was applied before resin composite buildup. Bonded teeth were longitudinally sectioned into sticks and half were immediately tested, while the remaining specimens were tested after six months. The mode of fracture was examined and the microtensile bond strength (µTBS) measured. Statistical analysis was performed with ANOVA and Bonferroni tests. Results: At both time periods, regardless of the dentin substrate, EGCG groups did not show bond strengths that were significantly different from those obtained with DW (p > 0.05), while CHX generated lower values than did DW (p 0.05). On SD, there was a bond strength reduction only in the CHX groups after six months. However, for ED, the bond strength significantly decreased in all groups. Conclusion: CHX negatively affected both dentin substrates, while the pretreatment with EGCG did not affect µTBS over time on SD. µTBS may be influenced by the substrate over time and EGCG can be used as an alternative to CHX to maintain the bond strength of self-etching adhesives. Keywords: catechin, chlorhexidine, dentin, matrix metaloproteinase, erosion, adhesive