Effect of cleaning dentine with soap and pumice on shear bond strength of dentine-bonding agents.

This in vitro study reports on the cleaning effect of different soaps on the shear bond strength of various dentine-bonding agents. Human teeth were coated with provisional cements for 24 h or for 14 days. After removing the provisional cements with a scaler, the dentinal surface was cleaned with a cotton pellet and non-fluoridated flour of pumice and soap for 10 sec. Different dentine-bonding agents and a luting resin were bonded to the dentinal surface according to manufacturers' instructions with the bonding agent and the composite material being light-cured at the same time. The bonding agents were tested under intrapulpal pressure and with thermal cycling to imitate physiological conditions. Compared with cleaning the dentine with water and pumice, all soaps investigated in this study decreased the shear bond strength values of the tested dentine-bonding agents considerably.