Tensile Properties ofResin-infiltrate d Demineralized HumanDentin

Theability ofadhesive resins torestore the physical properties ofdemineralized dentin hasnotbeen well-documented. Theunfilled resins thatareusedfor adhesion haverelatively lowmoduliofelasticity and limited ability toincrease dentin stiffness, although they mayincrease theultimate tensile strength ofdentin. This studytested thehypothesis thatresininfiltration of demineralized dentin canrestore itstensile properties to those ofmineralized dentin. Small (ca. 0.5mm thick x0.5 mm wide) specimens ofdemineralized humandentin were infiltrated withoneoffive different dentin bonding resins overmanyhours, todetermine howthese resins altered the tensile properties ofdentin. Tensile stress andstrain were measuredintheseandcontrol (mineralized and demineralized) specimens until their ultimate failure. The results indicate that someadhesive resins, after infiltrating demineralized dentin, canrestore andevenexceed the ultimate tensile strength ofmineralized dentin. These resins increased themodulusofelasticity ofresin-infiltrate d dentin tovalues equal toorgreater thanthose oftheresins butfarbelowthose ofmineralized dentin. Although the conditions inthis experiment werefarremoved fromthe manufacturer's recommendations orclinical practice, the results support thepotential ofresininfiltration for reinforcing dentin.