Evaluation "in situ" of tag formation in dental enamel submitted to microabrasion technique. Effect of two etching times.

The objective of this study was to analyze the formation of resin tags on enamel surfaces submitted or not to enamel microabrasion technique. Thirteen undergraduate dental students received removable acrylic palatal appliances on which four sections from intact premolars were fixed, measuring 4.0 mm x 4.0 mm. Two sections received the application of a microabrasive system and the remaining sections did not receive any surface treatment. The patients were instructed to wear the acrylic palatal appliances for 4 months during the day. After this time, the sections were etched with 37% phosphoric acid for 15 seconds (sections 1 and 2) and 60 seconds (sections 3 and 4), followed by adhesive system and composite resin applications. All the sections were prepared for light microscopy analysis to observe the degree of resin penetration (x400). The results were submitted to a three-way analysis of variance with a significance level of 5%. The difference between groups was verified by the Tukey test, at a significance level of 5%. The results showed that microabraded enamel required a longer period of acid etching for longer resin tags.