Prof. Dr. Bart van Meerbeek
Chair of the KU Leuven Department of Oral Health Sciences
Leuven, Belgium
Modern Dental Adhesive technology anno 2025
This lecture offers a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in dental adhesive technology and their performance on dentin and enamel. Particular focus will be placed on the newest generation of universal adhesives (UAs), which allow clinicians the flexibility to choose between an etch-and-rinse (E&R) or self-etch (SE) bonding strategy.
For durable adhesion, enamel consistently benefits from a phosphoric-acid treatment using the E&R technique. Depending on the clinician’s preference and the condition of the prepared tooth, UAs can be applied to heavily sclerotic or carious dentin in a more invasive manner with the E&R approach or to young, highly permeable dentin with a gentler SE strategy.
Universal adhesives contain specific functional monomers capable of chemically interacting with hydroxyapatite, which is critical for ensuring long-term bond durability. This lecture will provide a complete update on dental adhesives, from the molecular interactions at the adhesive-tooth interface to their laboratory and clinical performance. The session delivers a clear, practice-oriented message on achieving the most durable bonds to both enamel and dentin.