Aging of adhesive interfaces treated with benzalkonium chloride and benzalkonium methacrylate

Inhibition of endogenous dentin matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) within incompletely infiltrated hybrid layers can contribute to the preservation of resin-dentin bonds. This study evaluated the bond stability of interfaces treated with benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and benzalkonium methacrylate (MBAC), and its inhibitory properties in dentin MMP activity. Single-component adhesive ALL-BOND UNIVERSAL, modified with BAC or MBAC in concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0% was used for microtensile bond strength (μTBS) evaluation after 24 h, 6 months and 1 yr. Human dentin beams were treated with 37% phosphoric acid, dipped either in 0.5% BAC, 1.0% BAC or water (control) for 60 s and then incubated in SensoLyte generic MMP substrate to determine MMP activity. A significant decrease in μTBS after 6 months and 1 yr was observed for the control group only. No significant differences among groups were shown at 24 h. After 6 months and 1 yr, the control group demonstrated significantly lower μTBS than all treatment groups. Both 0.5% and 1.0%, BAC applied for 60 s inhibited total MMP activity by 31% and 54%, respectively. Both BAC and MBAC contributed to the preservation of resin-dentin bonds likely due to its inhibitory properties of endogenous dentin proteinases.