Effects of self-etch adhesive agitation with diode laser on dentin bond strength

The present study assessed the effect of active application of self-etch adhesives with diode laser irradiation on the shear dentin bond strength. Sixty bovine incisors, each embedded individually in hard plaster blocks, were divided into two groups based on the adhesive system used: Group 1 Adper Easy One and Group 2 Clearfil SE Protect. Based on the application technique of self-etch adhesives, each main group was further divided into three subgroups: passive application, active application with a micro-brush, and active application with a 976-nm diode laser tip (phototherapy active application). Shear bond strength tests were conducted using a universal testing machine and the data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA. Post hoc multiple comparisons were performed with the Tukey HSD test. Additionally, the statistical analysis of failure mode distribution was carried out using the chi-squared test (<i>p</i> < 0.05). While the adhesive system exhibited significant differences in shear dentin bond strengths, there were no significant differences in application techniques. Regardless of the application technique, Clearfil SE Protect demonstrated significantly higher dentin bond strength than Adper Easy One. In the present study, the utilization of phototherapy through a 976-nm diode laser for the active application of the tested self-etch adhesives demonstrated similar initial dentin bond strengths to conventional application methods.