Dentin adhesives for the twenty-first century.

The efforts of numerous clinical scientists have resulted in the development of tooth bonding systems that have changed the way clinical dentistry is practiced. The adhesion between polymeric restorative materials and dentin has been optimized to the point that little improvement can be expected within the next decade or even more. Already, the adhesion between the two substrates is greater than the inherent tensile strength of dentin itself. Improvements however, will undoubtedly occur in the manner in which the materials are used clinically. Such achievements are necessary to standardize performance as well as to eliminate postoperative sensitivity.