Purpose: To measure the changes of bonding strength of dentin adhesive agent at different storage temperatures.
Methods: One hundred extracted bicuspids were randomly divided into 10 sets, 10 teeth in each set. Each set was further divided randomly into Group A and Group B, each with 5 teeth. During a 10-week test period, Groups A and B were applied with adhesives labeled A and B. Group A was refrigerated under 4 degrees centigrade and B was stored at room-temperature from the second week on. The first set was stored at the same situation. The shear force of samples were tested by universal material tester at the speed of 1 mm/min. The results were evaluated using one-way ANOVA and LSD t test using SPSS 18.0 software package.
Results: According to one-way ANOVA, the shear bond strength of the 2 groups differed significantly (P<0.05). Comparing the sets by LSD t test, the results showed that during the first 5 weeks, there was no significant difference between Group A and B. However, there were measurable differences in performance after 6 weeks.
Conclusions: With time goes on, the bonding strength of both refrigerated and room-temperature adhesives tend to diminish. After 6 weeks, the bonding performance of the 2 groups begins to differ significantly, and the refrigerated adhesives are superior to room-temperature adhesives.