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Total-Etch System — MFDS Part 1 MCQ

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EasyDental MaterialsTotal-Etch SystemMFDS Part 1

A clinician applies phosphoric acid to enamel and dentine in a single etching step, rinses it away, and then applies a separate primer followed by adhesive. Which bonding approach is being used?

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Correct answer: A — Three-step etch-and-rinse system

The correct answer is A. A three-step etch-and-rinse system uses phosphoric acid to etch enamel and dentine, after which the acid is rinsed away before separate primer and adhesive applications. This sequence is also called the traditional total-etch technique. Self-etch systems and universal adhesives in self-etch mode use acidic adhesive monomers without a separate phosphoric-acid etch-and-rinse step. Selective enamel etching confines phosphoric acid to enamel rather than applying it to dentine. Glass-ionomer conditioning generally uses a polyacrylic-acid conditioner and is not a resin etch-and-rinse bonding protocol.

Reference: Pashley DH, Tay FR, Breschi L, et al. State of the art etch-and-rinse adhesives. Dental Materials. 2011;27(1):1–16. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21112620/