Profile of a 10-MDP-based universal adhesive system associated with chlorhexidine: Dentin bond strength and in situ zymography performance

Abstract The incorporation of functional monomers and proteolytic inhibitors into adhesive systems have shown to be promising strategies to improve the longevity of adhesive restorations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term bonding performance and anti-gelatinolytic effect of a 10-MDP-based universal adhesive system applied in combination with 2% chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX). For that, this study assessed the resin-dentin bond strength and the in situ gelatinolytic activity profile at the adhesive interface at initial and after 6 month of storage. One hundred and two sound human third molars were prepared and randomly divided into 3 groups according to the adhesive strategy: SB (two-step etch-and-rinse adhesive, Adper Single Bond 2, 10-MDP-free control group); SU-ER (Adper Single Bond Universal, 10-MDP containing universal adhesive applied on etch-and-rinse mode); and SU-SE (SU applied on self-etching mode). The groups were subdivided into two according to the dentin pretreatment: W - water or CHX- 2% chlorhexidine digluconate aqueous solution (SB–W; SB-CHX; SU-ER-W; SU-ER-CHX; SU-SE-W; SU-SE-CHX) and subsequently restored according to the manufacturer's instructions. Bond strength (n = 12) was assessed by a microtensile test (μTBS) (500N/0.5 mm/min) after 24h or after 6 months of storage. In situ zymography was performed to evaluate anti-gelatinolytic activity (n = 5). Resin-dentin samples were incubated with fluorescein-conjugated gelatin for 24 h at 37 °C and analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Fluorescence indicating gelatinolytic activity at hybrid layer zone and adjacencies was quantified using Image J. Data was analyzed by three-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc tests (p