Clinical evaluation of a dentinal adhesive system: three-year results.

The dentinal adhesive Scotchbond 2 was evaluated with the microfilled composite resin Silux in cervical and root caries lesions for up to 3 years. Clinical criteria evaluated included retention, marginal integrity, marginal discoloration, color match, anatomic form, recurrent caries, gingival response, and postoperative sensitivity. Overall, the adhesive demonstrated improved performance over earlier dentinal adhesive systems. Retention was greatest at 3 years when available enamel margins had been etched (93%) and when root caries lesions (97%) had been restored. Other criteria were reported as generally favorable. Early findings suggest that the level of development of sclerotic dentin may influence behavior of the adhesive. The greatest difficulty was noted in lesions presenting with heavy sclerotic dentin.