The Influence of Drying Time, Application Mode, and Agitation on the Dentin Bond Strength of a Novel Mesoporous Bioactive Glass-Containing Universal Dentin Adhesive

This study evaluated the influence of drying time, application mode, and agitation on the micro-tensile bond strength (μTBS) of a novel mesoporous bioactive glass-containing universal adhesive (Hi-Bond Universal). Twelve experimental groups were established according to drying time (blot-dry, 10 s dry, or 20 s dry), application mode (total-etch or self-etch), and agitation (with or without). The μTBS test and failure mode analysis were performed for each experimental group (<i>n</i> = 20), and an adhesive interface was observed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The μTBS of all experimental groups was analyzed using a three-way ANOVA and Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) post hoc test (α = 0.05). The total-etch mode yielded higher μTBS than the self-etch mode in the blot-dry and 10 s dry groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Agitation also significantly increased the μTBS in the blot-dry and 10 s dry groups for both application modes (<i>p</i> < 0.05). However, application mode and agitation had no effect on the μTBS in the 20 s dry group (<i>p</i> > 0.05). FE-SEM revealed longer and more uniform resin tags after agitation in the blot-dry and 10 s dry groups for both application modes. In conclusion, total-etch mode and agitation effectively increased the bond strength of mesoporous bioactive glass-containing universal adhesives.