Influence of luting strategies on dentin bond performance of self-adhesive resin luting cement combined with a universal adhesive

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the dentin bond performance of various resin luting cement (RLC) systems combined with universal adhesives in different luting strategies. Materials and Methods Three self-adhesive RLCs were used with universal adhesives as primers. Twelve specimens per group were prepared to measure shear bond strength (SBS) under distinct luting strategies in etch-&-rinse and self-etch modes. Regarding luting strategies, the bonded specimens were categorized into four groups based on tooth primer application and the curing mode of the RLC paste: (i) with light irradiation of the tooth primer (wL) + dual-cure mode (DC) of the RLC paste, (ii) wL + self-cure mode (SC) of the RLC paste, (iii) without light irradiation of the tooth primer (woL) + DC mode of the RLC paste, and (iv) woL + SC mode of the RLC paste. Specimens were also subjected to different storage conditions: 24 h in water (baseline condition) and 10,000 cycles of thermal cycling. Results Luting strategy, storage condition, and RLC system type significantly influenced dentin SBS values in both etching modes. Notably, certain RLCs exhibited significantly higher dentin SBS when the primer was light-irradiated compared with no primer irradiation. Conclusion Most RLCs demonstrated higher dentin bond strength with light-irradiated primers, suggesting potential enhancement of dentin bond performance via primer light irradiation.