Volume 107, Issue 6 pp. 2121-2131
Review Article

Universal dental adhesives: Current status, laboratory testing, and clinical performance

Sanket Nagarkar

Sanket Nagarkar

Park Dental Group, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Clinical Research Assistant Professor (affiliated), Department of Restorative Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Nicole Theis-Mahon

Nicole Theis-Mahon

Bio-Medical Library, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Jorge Perdigão

Corresponding Author

Jorge Perdigão

Division of Operative Dentistry, Department of Restorative Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Correspondence to: Jorge Perdigão; e-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author
First published: 14 January 2019
Citations: 160

Abstract

Increasing demand for simplified and user-friendly adhesive systems has led to the development of a new class of adhesives termed as Universal Adhesives (UAs). The term “Universal” reflects manufacturers' claims that these adhesives can be applied with any adhesion strategy and offer the versatility of use with a variety of direct and indirect restorative materials. The aim of this review was to synthesize the literature regarding the current status of UAs, their adhesion potential to various substrates and their performance in different restorative situations. In vitro studies, clinical trials and systematic reviews were identified utilizing controlled vocabulary and keyword searches in Medline and EMBASE databases. About 282 studies (272 in vitro studies; 11 clinical studies) were included. Available laboratory and clinical evidence does not support the claim that UAs can be used with any adhesive strategy. Although, they can chemically bond to various tooth and direct/indirect restorative substrates, the stability of this bond is material-dependent and subject to hydrolytic degradation. Hence, additional measures are still needed to ensure long-term durability. which undermines the versatility of UAs. The lack of long-term data regarding the clinical performance of UAs further complicates clinical decision-making. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 107B: 2121–2131, 2019.

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