Consequently, this approach has been considered to be more user-friendly (shorter application time, fewer steps) and less technique-sensitive (no wet-bonding) in comparison

with etch-and-rinse adhesives, thereby resulting in a reliable clinical performance [5], [42], [43] and [44], although the approach does appear to be very product-dependent. Another important clinical benefit of self-etch adhesives is the absence of, or at least lower incidence of, post-operative sensitivity experienced by patients (as compared to that associated with etch-and-rinse adhesives) [45], [46] and [47]. All these favorable key-features have led to the steadily growing popularity of self-etch adhesives in today’s dental practices. In general, BIBW2992 order self-etch adhesives have the advantage of simultaneously demineralizing buy Ulixertinib and infiltrating the tooth surface to the same depth, theoretically ensuring complete penetration of the adhesive [48]. On the other hand, the quality of the hybrid layer strongly depends on its nano-structure and the reactants formed by the monomers-tooth reaction. With increasing depth, the acidic monomers are gradually

neutralized by the mineral content of the substrate, loosing their ability to further etch dentin [49] and [50]. The morphological features of the adhesive-tooth interface produced by self-etch adhesives depend to a great extent on the manner in which their functional Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II monomers interact with the dental substrate [51]. The actual bonding performance attained by self-etch

adhesives varies a great deal, depending on the actual composition and, more specifically, on the actual functional monomer included in the adhesive formulation. In the case of self-etch adhesives, chemical interaction is achieved through specific functional monomers, such as 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (10-MDP), 4-methacryloxyethyl trimellitic acid (4-MET) and 2-methacryloxyethyl phenyl hydrogen phosphate (Phenyl-P). XPS revealed that the chemical bonding promoted by 10-MDP is not only more effective, but also more stable in water than that provided by 4-MET and Phenyl-P, in this order (Fig. 11) [52]. The dissolution rate of the respective calcium salts of these three monomers, as measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), was inversely related to their chemical bonding potential, as revealed by XPS: the more intense the chemical bonding potential, the less the resultant calcium salt could be dissolved [52].