This study evaluated the effect of the thickness of the adhesive resin laye
r of two commercially available resin bonding systems on bond strengths (Si
ngle Bond and Liner Bond 2V). The adhesive of Single Bond contains ethanol
and water as solvents and is applied using the moist-bonding technique. The
adhesive of Liner Bond 2V contains no solvents and is applied after a self
-etching primer treatment. Forty-six caries-free molars were ground flat to
expose the dentin surface and polished with #800-grit silicon carhide pape
r under running water. A vinyl tape punched with a 6 mm diameter hole was t
hen placed on the dentin surface to demarcate the area for bonding. The thi
ckness of the adhesive resin layer was varied by stacking an increasing num
bers of vinyl tapes together. The teeth were randomly divided into two grou
ps and treated with either Clearfil Liner Bond 2V or Single Bond. They were
further divided into subgroups according to the number of tapes placed on
the dentin surface. After the bonding procedures the teeth were incremental
ly restored with Clearfil AP-X resin composite, building a 5 mm high crown
to produce sufficient bulk for the microtensile bond test and stored in tap
water at 37 degreesC for 24 hours. The teeth were then sectioned along the
ir long axis into 0.7 mm thick slabs and trimmed for the microtensile bond
test using a super-fine diamond bur. The thickness of the adhesive resin la
yer was then measured with a light microscope and the slabs tested in tensi
on at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/minute. The results were subjected to stati
stical analysis by a one-way analysis of variance and linear regressions wi
th 95% confidence intervals.
The thickness of the Clearfil Liner Bond 2V adhesive layer ranged from 5 mm
-1500 mm, and for Single Bond, it varied from <7.5 mm-430 mm. For Clearfil
Liner Bond 2V, bond strengths increased significantly as the thickness of b
onding layer increased (p<0.05). However, the bond strengths of the Single
Bond decreased significantly with increased thickness of the bonding layer
(p<0.05).