Purpose: To evaluate the bond strength of indirect restorations to dentin using self-adhesive cements with and without the application of adhesive systems. Material and Methods: Seventy-two bovine incisors were used, in which the buccal surfaces were ground down to expose an area of dentin measuring a minimum of 4 x 4 mm. The indirect resin composite Resilab was used to make 72 blocks, which were cemented onto the dentin surface of the teeth and divided into 4 groups (n = 18): group 1: self-adhesive resin cement BiFix SE, applied according to manufacturer’s recommendations; group 2: self-adhesive resin cement RelyX Unicem, used according to manufacturer’s recommendations; group 3: etch-and-rinse Solobond M adhesive system + BiFix SE; group 4: etch-and-rinse Single Bond 2 adhesive system + RelyX Unicem. The specimens were sectioned into sticks and subjected to microtensile testing in a universal testing machine (EMIC DL- 200MF). Data were subjected to one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test (α = 5%). Results: The mean values (± standard deviation) obtained for the groups were: group 1: 15.28 (± 8.17)a, group 2: 14.60 (± 5.21)a, group 3: 39.20 (± 9.98)c, group 4: 27.59 (± 6.57)b. Different letters indicate significant differences (ANOVA; p = 0.0000). Conclusion: The application of adhesive systems before self-adhesive cements significantly increased the bond strength to dentin. In group 2, RelyX Unicem associated with the adhesive system Single Bond 2 showed significantly lower mean tensile bond strengths than group 3 (BiFix SE associated with the etch-and-rinse Solobond M adhesive system).

Keywords: dentin, strength, self-adhesive cements