Effect of a fifth-generation bonding agent on vascular responses in rats

In the last years, several single-bottle dental adhesives have been develop ed. They are supposed to chemically adhere to dentin, and a liner to protec t pulp is not thought to be necessary. In the case of direct pulp capping, hemorrhage control is an important step in success, but little is known abo ut the effect of these new bonding agents on pulpal bleeding. The aim of th is study was to evaluate the effect of a new one-step single-bottle adhesiv e on the smooth muscle contraction of rat uterine muscle and carotid arteri es. Efficacy of the bonding agent was compared with that of epinephrine (co ntrol), and the contraction forces induced were recorded using a force disp lacement transducer. Statistical analysis of data revealed that the bonding material produced epinephrine-like concentration-dependent contractions of the smooth muscle, suggesting that onestep bonding agents may act as candi dates for hemorrhage control without the use of an additional agent in dire ct pulp capping procedures.