Contamination of Dentin with Hemostatic Agents - Is EDTA a Valuable Decontaminant before Using a Self-etch Universal Adhesive?

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of dentin decontamination procedures with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) after contamination with two hemostatic agents, ViscoStat (VS) and ViscoStat Clear (VSC), on the microtensile bond strength (muTBS) of two different universal adhesives, before and after thermocycling (TC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dentin surfaces of 100 human caries-free molars were either contaminated with one of the hemostatic agents or contaminated and then decontaminated with EDTA before the universal adhesives Scotchbond Universal Adhesive (SBU) or Prime & Bond Active (PBA) were applied in self-etch mode. Composite buildups were made and the teeth were sectioned into sticks (n = 90). Half of them immediately underwent the muTBS test, the other half after aging via TC. The data were statistically analyzed using Welch's ANOVA and the Games-Howell post-hoc test (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Significant differences were observed between the groups (p < 0.001). When the dentin surface was contaminated with VSC, TC significantly reduced the mean bond strength, regardless of the universal adhesive. Decontamination with EDTA showed a significant decrease in bond strength after VS contamination and SBU application. The fracture analysis showed mainly adhesive fractures (78.8%) in all test groups. CONCLUSION: As EDTA application did not significantly increase the muTBS of either universal adhesive in self-etch mode in-vitro, it cannot be recommended as a decontaminant.