ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:: This randomized, double-blind clinical trial aimed to evaluate the influence of different dentin surface treatments in noncarious cervical lesions (NCCLs). METHODS AND MATERIALS:: Twenty-nine patients participated in this study. One hundred sixty-five NCCLs were selected and randomly assigned to three groups: G0 (control group) with phosphoric acid etching for 15 seconds; G1: phosphoric acid etching for 30 seconds; and G2: ultrasound probe applied for 30 seconds on the dentin surface. Class V composite resin restorations were performed (Z350, 3M ESPE, St Paul, MN, USA). The restorations were evaluated at baseline and at six, 12, 24, and 36 months according to the World Dental Federation criteria. Survival curves were obtained using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. Comparisons between groups and times were performed using the McNemar and Chi-square tests (α =0.05). RESULTS:: The presence of failures due to retention was statistically different among the groups ( p=0.012), and G0 and G2 showed better clinical performance than did G1. Sensitivity decreased over time in all groups. Marginal discoloration, postoperative sensitivity, and marginal adaptation were not different among the groups ( p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS:: The studied dentin surface treatments showed similar clinical performance to the conventional technique at 36 months in terms of marginal discoloration, marginal adaptation, and postoperative sensitivity. In contrast, increased acid-etching time resulted in a higher risk of failure due to retention over time in composite Class V restorations.
