Effect of light-curing silver diamine fluoride on microtensile bond strength of primary carious dentin restored with glass ionomer cement: In vitro study

Introduction: Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) has been used as a caries arresting agent. The application protocol of SDF is unclear. Some clinicians prefer to light cure SDF to accelerate the hardening of SDF; however, the effect of the same on bond strength of the restoration is unknown. This study aimed to determine the effect of light-curing SDF on microtensile bond strength (µTBS) of primary teeth restored with glass ionomer cement (GIC). Materials and Methods: Seventeen carious primary molars were sectioned through the middle of the carious lesion and allocated randomly to three groups. Group 1—SDF application followed by GIC restoration, group 2—SDF application followed by light cure of SDF and restored with GIC, group 3—control: GIC restoration without SDF application (n = 11). The samples were stored in artificial saliva; evaluated for µTBS under universal testing machine until failure. The failure mode was evaluated using stereomicroscope at 40× magnification. Results: µTBS of the groups were compared using Kruskal–Wallis test, which showed a statistically significant difference between the groups (P < 0.05). Dunn’s post hoc test revealed a significantly higher bond strength with group 2 (4.15 ± 2.51) compared to group 1 (1.40 ± 0.49) (P value 0.022). The failure modes for each group were carried out with chi-square test which revealed no statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Light-curing SDF prior to application of GIC resulted in significantly greater bond strength when compared to non–light-cured SDF.