RAMAN MAPPING OF THE DENTIN ADHESIVE INTERFACE/

The degree of adhesive penetration into dentin has been studied throug h micro-Raman spectroscopic examination of the dentin/adhesive interfa ce. In contrast to previous studies, for the specimen examined in this work the adhesive penetrates less than 2 mu m into the acid-etched an d, thus, decalcified dentin. There is strong spectroscopic evidence th at, upon acid etching of the dentin surface, which is typically perfor med immediately before the adhesive is applied, the collagen matrix co llapses upon itself.