Effects of Non – Thermal, Atmospheric, Argon – Based Plasma on the Surface Properties of Human Dentin for Adhesive Applications

The dental industry has long been hindered by poor adhesion quality between the dentin and enamel with dental composite during restoration. The result of this is restorations being performed on teeth that have previously been restored, which causes a significant loss of tooth mass. A study of the effects of plasma treatment on the tooth-adhesive interface was conducted. Tensile strength tests on treated and untreated specimen indicate that plasma treatment has a noticeable effect on the strength of the adhesive. Wetting ability of the adhesive, tested qualitatively with contact angle data, indicates that plasma treatment plays a significant role in tooth surface energy and adhesive wetting ability. These results indicate that plasma treatment can potentially result in a stronger, longer lasting adhesive with less tooth loss.