An 18-months' evaluation of self-etch and etch & rinse adhesive in non-carious cervical lesions

Objective. In this intra-individual comparison (an 18-months' randomized, controlled prospective study), we evaluated the clinical performance of one self-etch and one etch & rinse adhesive in non-carious cervical lesions. Methods. Twenty-five patients with at least two pairs of similar-sized non-carious cervical lesions participated. Seventy-eight restorations were placed; 39 with etch & rinse (Single-Bond) and 39 with self-etch (Adper Prompt). Both adhesives were combined with the microfilled resin composite Filtek-A110. The restorations were evaluated at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months according to slightly modified USPHS criteria. Statistical differences between the adhesives was tested with McNemar's test and clinical degradation over time for each material with the Fisher exact test (alpha = 0.05). Results. Thirty pairs were evaluated at 12 and 18 months. Two self-etch restorations were lost after 18 months. Nine Adper Prompt and four Single-Bond restorations scored bravo for marginal adaptation at 18 months (p = 50.05). Nine Adper Prompt and three Single-Bond restorations scored bravo for marginal discoloration (p < 50.05). Conclusions. Both adhesive systems showed acceptable clinical retention rates according to the ADA full acceptance criteria for enamel-bonding systems in class V non-carious lesions. The self-etch adhesive showed a faster progressive marginal degradation.