The role of an interfacial interpenetrating polymer network formation on the adhesion of resin composite layers in immediate dentin sealing

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of chemical and physical processes at the resin-composite and composite-cement interface as a function of the resin composite's water exposure on the bond strength (BS) between these two components. The free-radical concentration was studied using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), while the chemical changes at the resin composite's surface were studied using attenuated total-reflection FTIR spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The free-radical concentration in the studied samples dropped to 10% in 24 h, indicating that prolonged BS values do not correlate with the free-radical concentration. An alternative bonding mechanism between the resin composite and the composite cement was proposed, based on the formation of an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) layer at the interface. As proven using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, changes occurred at the resin composite's surface as a consequence of water exposure, comprising the diffusion of water molecules into the resin composite. These changes reduced the diffusion rate of the composite cement's phosphorus-containing monomers into the resin composite, as shown by the linescan SEM-EDS analysis of phosphorus, thus reducing the thickness of the IPN layer at the interface and consequently reducing the BS between both components.This study reveals that the concentration of free radicals at the surface of the resin composite is only relevant immediately after the polymerisation to the bond strength between the resin composite and the composite cement. Therefore, an alternative explanation is given by applying the theory of the formation of a gradient IPN at the interface between the resin composite and the adhesive cement by changes in the rate of diffusion of the adhesive cement's monomers into the resin composite as a function of the resin composite's exposure to water.