Comparative Evaluation of Shear Bond Strength in Antimicrobial-Modified vs. Conventional Universal Adhesives Under Aging Conditions

Comparative Evaluation of Shear Bond Strength in Antimicrobial-Modified vs. Conventional Universal Adhesives Under Aging Conditions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Comparative Evaluation of Shear Bond Strength in Antimicrobial-Modified vs. Conventional Universal Adhesives Under Aging Conditions Haifa M. Barakah, Sarah Bandar Alshammari, Salwa Nasser Aljamaan, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8140758/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: The incorporation of antimicrobial agents into universal adhesives (UAs) aims to reduce cariogenic bacterial activity while maintaining adequate bond strength. However, current evidence regarding their e@ectiveness remains inconsistent. Aim: To compare the shear bond strength (SBS) of antimicrobial-modified universal adhesives (AM-UAs) versus conventional universal adhesives under immediate and thermocycled conditions. Methods: Sixty freshly extracted, caries-free human third molars (providing 120 dentin surfaces) were randomly assigned into six groups (n = 20 surfaces per group). Three antimicrobial-modified UAs (Gluma 2 Bond, Excite, Dentsply Xeno) and three non-antimicrobial UAs (Gluma Universal, Tetric Universal, Dentsply Universal) were applied to dentin, followed by composite build-up. All specimens were stored in distilled water at 37°C for 24 hours. Half of the samples from each group (n = 10) were tested immediately for SBS, while the remaining samples (n = 10) underwent thermocycling (5–55°C, 10,000 cycles) before SBS testing. Data were analyzed using Three-Way ANOVA with a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: Gluma Universal (non-antimicrobial) exhibited significantly higher bond strength than Gluma 2 Bond (antimicrobial) after 24 hours (p < 0.001). No significant di@erences were found between Dentsply Universal vs. Dentsply Xeno or Tetric Universal vs. Excite (p = 0.10) at the immediate time point. After aging, antimicrobial systems Dentsply Xeno and Excite demonstrated significantly higher SBS compared with their non-antimicrobial counterparts (Dentsply Universal and Tetric Universal) (p = 0.01). Thermocycling increased bond strength across most groups (e.g., Gluma Universal: 10.01 MPa → 22.54 MPa), indicating enhanced aging resistance. Conclusion: This in-vitro study showed that incorporating antibacterial agents into universal adhesives did not significantly influence SBS under either immediate or thermocycled conditions. Although performance varied among brands, thermocycling consistently enhanced bond strength across all adhesives. Therefore, adhesive selection should be based on formulation-specific characteristics and documented clinical performance rather than the presence of antibacterial additives alone. Further in-vivo studies are recommended to validate long-term behavior in the oral environment. Universal adhesives antibacterial adhesives shear bond strength thermocycling dentin bonding Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 29 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 13 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 17 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 15 Dec, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 15 Dec, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 22 Nov, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 22 Nov, 2025 First submitted to journal 17 Nov, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8140758","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":560535170,"identity":"81a9c871-e155-4286-a94a-d22ad2e86bf2","order_by":0,"name":"Haifa M. 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However, current evidence regarding their e@ectiveness remains inconsistent.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAim:\u003c/strong\u003e To compare the shear bond strength (SBS) of antimicrobial-modified universal adhesives (AM-UAs) versus conventional universal adhesives under immediate and thermocycled conditions.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods:\u003c/strong\u003e Sixty freshly extracted, caries-free human third molars (providing 120 dentin surfaces) were randomly assigned into six groups (n = 20 surfaces per group). Three antimicrobial-modified UAs (Gluma 2 Bond, Excite, Dentsply Xeno) and three non-antimicrobial UAs (Gluma Universal, Tetric Universal, Dentsply Universal) were applied to dentin, followed by composite build-up. All specimens were stored in distilled water at 37°C for 24 hours. Half of the samples from each group (n = 10) were tested immediately for SBS, while the remaining samples (n = 10) underwent thermocycling (5–55°C, 10,000 cycles) before SBS testing. Data were analyzed using Three-Way ANOVA with a significance level of p \u0026lt; 0.05.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults:\u003c/strong\u003e Gluma Universal (non-antimicrobial) exhibited significantly higher bond strength than Gluma 2 Bond (antimicrobial) after 24 hours (p \u0026lt; 0.001). No significant di@erences were found between Dentsply Universal vs. Dentsply Xeno or Tetric Universal vs. Excite (p = 0.10) at the immediate time point.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter aging, antimicrobial systems Dentsply Xeno and Excite demonstrated significantly higher SBS compared with their non-antimicrobial counterparts (Dentsply Universal and Tetric Universal) (p = 0.01). Thermocycling increased bond strength across most groups (e.g., Gluma Universal: 10.01 MPa → 22.54 MPa), indicating enhanced aging resistance.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion: \u003c/strong\u003eThis in-vitro study showed that incorporating antibacterial agents into universal adhesives did not significantly influence SBS under either immediate or thermocycled conditions. Although performance varied among brands, thermocycling consistently enhanced bond strength across all adhesives. Therefore, adhesive selection should be based on formulation-specific characteristics and documented clinical performance rather than the presence of antibacterial additives alone. Further in-vivo studies are recommended to validate long-term behavior in the oral environment.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Comparative Evaluation of Shear Bond Strength in Antimicrobial-Modified vs. Conventional Universal Adhesives Under Aging Conditions","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-12-17 13:52:35","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8140758/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-01-29T10:59:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-01-13T14:37:58+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"255922845643481735406122872719724647066","date":"2026-01-06T16:08:02+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-12-17T18:44:11+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"98269454134979566325262049907251999451","date":"2025-12-15T12:00:05+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-12-15T11:08:15+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-11-22T06:28:02+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-11-22T06:26:27+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"The Saudi Dental Journal","date":"2025-11-18T04:10:06+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":false,"email":"","identity":"the-saudi-dental-journal","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"The Saudi Dental Journal","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"VoR Journals","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"8798e5a6-30ea-4f10-875d-8924eb451eb0","owner":[],"postedDate":"December 17th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"in-revision","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-29T11:09:27+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-12-17 13:52:35","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8140758","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8140758","identity":"rs-8140758","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}