DENTSPLY Caulk’s Prime&Bond Elect® Universal Adhesive—All About Strength and Simplification
Nick Conte, DMD, MBA, Director of Clinical Research at DENTSPLY Caulk, says it’s time for discussion about adhesion to focus less on the various generations and more on meeting the objective of achieving greater strength and simplicity.
“For a long time, the ‘gold standard’ for adhesion was the 4th generation three-component etch-and-rinse systems, which gave way to 5th generation systems, and so on,” says Conte. “Now, we’re seeing another gradual shift towards the universal category offering an all-in-one product capable of bonding not only to a variety of substrates but using different curing modes as well,” he explains.
A main goal of the self-etch products, Conte suggests, was to reduce the potential for postoperative sensitivity, but he says there were tradeoffs. “Most of the clinicians were lured by the promise of decreasing postoperative sensitivity, but using self-etch adhesives without any phosphoric acid can compromise the results you get to bonded enamel over the course of time,” he remarks. However, he says, in general, the systems have met their goals of being both “robust and user-friendly enough for clinicians” while delivering on their promise to reduce postoperative sensitivity.
Conte describes DENTSPLY Caulk’s Prime&Bond Elect® as a universal adhesive that is based on more than 13 years of development of the company’s clinically proven PENTA (dipentaerythritol penta acrylate monophosphate) resin technology. “Our formulas are based on a balance of trusted chemistry and are modified in keeping with lessons learned from their performance in the field and in-vitro testing,” he says. Adhesive-promoting monomers—in particular DENTSPLY Caulk’s proprietary PENTA molecule—he says, offer numerous advantages regarding adhesion, and adds that Prime&Bond Elect® can be used in virtually all restorative bonding procedures.
To support clinicians in their use of the company’s adhesive products, DENTSPLY Caulk provides a wealth of scientifically supported continuing education programs and publishes related articles in respected clinical journals. Furthermore, Conte emphasizes that its customer service department is poised to address any product-related issues that come up in the field.
“We have more than 120 field sales representatives who call on doctors who use our products. These reps are continuously checking in to see if our customers are having any issues, making sure they are realizing good product performance. Our field representatives are fully available to coach and advise customers any time they need help using the products or understanding the best indications for those products,” Conte maintains.
In keeping with his expectation that the future of adhesion will build on what is currently being seen in the universal category, Conte believes it is time to move toward characteristics such as robustness of chemistry and simplification of technique. “The products have become stronger and more stable over the generations of development, but the future of adhesion is to have one product that is compatible with a variety of substrates—whether it’s natural tooth structure or the restorative material,” he says. “We want to be able to bond all the crown materials that are out there—from lithium disilicates to zirconias,” he continues. “We want to make sure we aren’t advising dentists to have specialized adhesive products for each clinical situation—but to continue to develop products that allow simplification of technique and minimization of inventory without compromising clinical performance.”
Conte’s projections also reflect DENTSPLY Caulk’s own research and development efforts, which are focused on advancing the category of adhesion in two main arenas. “We are doing this, first, by developing more stable resin systems to use as backbone chemistry for the adhesives, and, second, by continuing to look at matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) activity; anything we can continue to do to limit the MMP activity that degrades the bond will lead to a more durable restoration in the long run,” he concludes.
A global leader in dental solutions, clinicians can expect DENTSPLY Caulk to be at the forefront of continued development of adhesion products that offer ever-improving durability and simplification.
DENTSPLY Caulk
38 West Clarke Ave
Milford, DE 19963
800-532-2855
dentalaegis.com/go/cced488
