The bovine enamel and dentin samples ground flat with a series of emery papers were pretreated with fluoride either before or after etching, and several of the dentin samples were lined with glass ionomer cement. Adhesive resin cement, Panavia or Super-Bond, was applied on the enamel and dentin samples, and then amalgam was placed on these samples.
The highest bond strength between amalgam and enamel was 90kg/cm² for Panavia, and 102kg/cm² for Super-Bond. These values were obtained by the pretreatment with Ag(NH₃)₂F. The bond strength between amalgam and the dentin treated with fluoride or the etching agent was 13-17kg/cm² for Panavia, and 23-65kg/cm² for Super-Bond. The bond strength between amalgam and lined dentin was 41-46kg/cm² when Panavia was used. The bond strength tended to be increased by the fluoride treatment prior to etching.
We suppose that the adhesion technique for amalgam would be clinically valuable.