Research progress on the methods of observation and analysis of dental bonding interfaces

Dental bonding technology and materials have been used widely in dentistry because of their excellent properties. The development of novel bonding technology and materials is constantly being performed to improve the effect of dental bonding restorations. Observation and analysis of the dental bonding interface is one of the most important methods for laboratory evaluation of bonding efficiency. This paper aims to review the methods of observation and analysis of dental bonding interfaces to provide a reference for the selection of evaluation methods in dental bonding research. The features of 6 methods, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), Raman spectroscopy (RS), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), were described and summarized. Among these methods, SEM and TEM are used most often in the analysis of fine structures; CLSM and OCT are used for the acquisition of characteristic image signals, such as microleakage and exogenous and endogenous fluorescence; and RS and AFM can test chemical composition and mechanical properties.