Abstract
Objective: To review the effect of non-thermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP) on the adhesive procedures applied in dentistry. Background: Realization of a robust adhesion is key to the success of both direct composite and indirect restorations. Different surface treatments are utilized to promote bonding to the tooth structure or indirect restorative materials, however technical errors during such surface treatments might adversely affect dental adhesion. Recently, NTAP has shown increasing interest in the field of adhesive dentistry as an effective promoter of adhesion to dental substrates. Data sources: Two databases: MEDLINE (via PubMed) and Scopus were electronically searched to identify relevant studies showing that NTAP improves the adhesive surface properties or bonding to dental substrates. Results: A total of 23 in-vitro studies satisfied the inclusion criteria of the review. Application of NTAP significantly improved the achieved bond strength to tooth enamel and dentin and to indirect restorative materials, such as zirconia, glass-ceramics, polyetherketoneketone and glass fiber posts. Conclusions: Regardless of the type of dental substrate, NTAP treatment significantly improves the bond strength, surface energy, and wettability without affecting the bulk properties of NTAP-treated materials, so that it can be used for efficient surface characterization through the deposition of elements that facilitate chemical adhesion to NTAP-treated materials. Clinical significance: NTAP is expected to play a major role in improving the durability of direct composite and indirect ceramic restorations in clinical adhesive dental treatments.