Investigation of adhesive properties of dental composite materials using an improved tensile test procedure and scanning electron microscopy.

A standardized tension test was used to evaluate the adhesive properties of several composite materials when used on both dentin and enamel specimens. The nature of the test surfaces was examined by roughness tests using a Talysurf machine and also in more detail by means of a scanning electron microscope. Poor results were obtained for the adhesion of composite materials to dentin whereas good retention to enamel was obtained.