Micro-shear bond strength of universal adhesives used for amalgam repair with or without Alloy Primer

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the adhesive performance of three different universal adhesives to repair aged amalgam by composite resins with or without Alloy Primer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty amalgam samples were prepared, aged, and randomly divided into 12 main groups according to adhesive procedures used. Composite buildups were placed on amalgam surfaces. After micro-shear bonding test, the fracture surfaces were examined under the scanning electron microscopy statistical analysis was performed using two-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc tests. RESULTS: Without use of Alloy Primer, all of the universal adhesives provided similar bond strength values with conventional adhesives (P > 0.05); however, an Alloy Primer significantly increased the bond strength values of universal adhesives (P < 0.05). No significant difference in bond strength values was noted for conventional adhesives with or without Alloy Primer (P > 0.05) except for Clearfil SE Bond (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded; using Alloy Primer before universal adhesives increased the bond strength significantly.