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A number of mechanisms (both mechanical and chemical) have been proposed as the cause of dentin adhesion. Extensive research in Japan during the past 10 years has shown that strong, long-lived bonds between resin and living dentin will form when a monomer such as 4-META, which contains both hydrophilic and hydrophobic chemical groups, penetrates the tissue and polymerizes in situ. This resin-impregnation creates a transitional "hybrid" layer, that is neither resin nor tooth, but a hybrid of the two. The thin layer of resin-reinforced dentin locks the two dissimilar substances together on a molecular level, sealing the surface against leakage and imparting a high degree of acid resistance.
Nakabayashi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.