A comparative overview of dental adhesives

Dentine bonding agents play a key role in sealing and retaining composite restorations to enamel and dentine, which are becoming increasingly popular with dentists worldwide (Burke, 2004a). Dentine bonding agents (DBAs) have evolved through generations since the 1980s, with early systems involving technique-sensitive stages where solutions would be applied up to five times and washing and/or drying being necessary between these stages. This had the potential to create errors at any stage (Burke, 2004b).

Dentine bonding still has many hurdles to overcome with respect to the long-term stability of their bond. Despite these challenges, adhesives can still be placed in the adverse environment of an oral cavity and manage to function with their intended purpose. This article provides a contemporary review of dentine bonding agents.