Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effects of cleaning solutions on dentin impregnated with an epoxy resin-based endodontic sealer, using a self-etch adhesive system applied at different time-points, to understand how these factors affect the bonding of final restoration. Methods:This experimental study used 150 bovine incisors.Three cleaning protocols (ethanol (ET), xylol (XY) or an experimental solution (EX)) and 2 time-points of adhesive system application (immediate or after 7 days) were evaluated. The persistence of residues (PR), open dentinal tubules (ODT), microshear bond strength, failure mode, and dentinal penetrability of the adhesive system were analyzed. Kruskal-Wallis/Dunn's tests or 2-way ANOVA/Tukey's test (alpha = 0.05) were used. Results: Ethanol resulted in greater PR and fewer ODT, negatively affecting adhesive penetrability and bond strength, with worse results when adhesive system application is delayed (P < .05). The EX and XY solutions were more effective in removing sealer residues, opening dentinal tubules, adhesive penetrability, and micro-shear bond strength, regardless of the time-point of adhesive system application. Conclusion: Xylol and EX solutions showed superior performance compared to ET. The findings suggest that while XY and EX allow the final restoration to be performed either immediately or after 7 days, the use of ET requires the restoration to be executed in the same session to ensure more favourable bonding to dentin.