Sources: Information from original scientific papers or reviews about enamel–dentin
adhesives, the patent literature concerning dental adhesives and manufacturer
information of commercial self-etching adhesives were included in this review.
Data: The most efficient self-etching enamel–dentin adhesives are based on strongly
acidic adhesive monomers, containing dihydrogenphosphate, phosphonic acids or
carboxylic acid groups. Serious problems of single-bottle water-based, strongly
acidic self-etching enamel–dentin adhesives arise both from the hydrolytic instability
of the methacrylate monomers used and the side reaction of the applied initiator
components.
Conclusions: The stability of the self-etching enamel–dentin adhesives can be
improved by using new acrylic ether phosphonic acids or mono- or difunctional
acrylamides, while more stable and compatible components have to be developed in
the future.