ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY STUDIES OF THE INTERACTION OF A DENTIN ADHESIVE WITH TOOTH HARD-TISSUE

The usefulness of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in the study of dental biomaterials was investigated. Two basic points were addressed: thr f irst is the use of an atomic force microscope for the imaging of tooth hard tissue; the second is a study by AFM of the interaction of a liq uid adhesive (Gluma) with dentin. Results show that dental tissues are readily imaged by AFM and that high-resolution images of the dentin u ltrastructure can be obtained. As to the dentin adhesive, it was possi ble to elucidate the mechanism of action of Gluma. In particular, poly merization of the hydroxyethylmethacrylate present in the Gluma mixtur e was observed to occur in <30 seconds. (C) 1994 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.