Evaluation of the enamel etching pattern of self-etching adhesives

Objectives: To evaluate the capacity of seven self-etching adhesives (SEAs) to demineralize ground enamel in comparison with traditional phosphoric acid etchant (PAE) using SEM and statistical analysis. Materials and methods: 80 caries-free extracted human third molars were divided into 8 groups ( n = 10). Enamel bur-cut surfaces were prepared and, strictly following the manufacturers’ instructions, treated with three priming agents of two-step self-etching adhesives: Aqua Resulcin Prime (Group 1); Peak™ (Group 2); Clearfil Protect Bond (Group 3); four one-step self-etch (all-in-one) adhesives, G-Bond (Group 4); Artegral One (Group 5); Clearfil S3 Bond (Group 6); Adper Easy Bond (Group 7); …