ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the morphology of ethanol-wet dentin surfaces and detect their nano-scale adhesion force (Fad) by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in order to explore the potential mechanism of ethanol-wet bonding in improving clinical dentin bonding effectiveness.Methods Dentin slices from human premolar roots were prepared into flat ones, polished, and then randomly divided into five groups.All the specimens were acid-etched, rinsed, and left moist.They were then treated with 100％ ethanol for 0s (control group), 20s, 60s, 3×60s, or stepwise ethanol application.Afterwards, each group was scanned for the morphology in air and the Fad was probed by AFM.One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey`s test was employed for multiple comparisons using SPSS16.0.Results Compared with control group, ethanol-wet dentine produced a less undulating and relatively smooth surface topography.Ethanol-wet protocol significantly decreased the value of Fad in the experimental groups (P0.05).Conclusion When using AFM in air, ethanol-wet protocol with longer time can produce a less undulating and relatively smooth surface topography and decrease the Fad, whichindicates that the water saturated in dentin matrix was replaced more thoroughly by longer ethanol application time.This will benefit hydrophobicity of the dentin bonding interface.