BeautiBond Bonding Agent
Shofu Dental Corporation
This seventh-generation bonding agent provides one-step convenience.
Shofu Dental’s BeautiBond is a seventh-generation bonding agent that provides clinicians with dual adhesive monomers in a single onestep, self-etch adhesive. According to the manufacturer, BeautiBond’s dual adhesive monomers deliver equal bond strength to enamel and dentin as well as bond strengths comparable to leading multi-component brands. This HEMA-free adhesive is characterized by its single-coat, 30-second application, its low film thickness (5 ?m), and its unit dose design.
Fourteen dentists participated in this Dental Product Shopper evaluation of BeautiBond, commenting on such features as ease of use, delivery system, and handling.
Ease of Use and Simplicity of Procedure
According to Shofu, BeautiBond requires a single coat for a shorter working time. When asked to rate ease of use, 11 evaluators rated it as excellent and 3 rated it as very good. With regard to simplicity of procedure, 9 evaluators rated this feature as excellent and 5 rated it as very good. One evaluator with 30 years of experience, who ranked all features of BeautiBond as excellent said, “The viscosity makes placement and coverage of all tooth surfaces easier, more efficient, and faster.” When asked what they liked best about the product, this same evaluator cited “speed of placement prior to curing—no wait time.” Another evaluator who ranked simplicity of procedure as excellent and gave BeautiBond an overall satisfaction rating of excellent said, “Less steps, less time.”
Delivery System
BeautiBond comes in a convenient unit dose design. Because it requires no mixing, Shofu states that BeautiBond is fast and easy to use. In addition to its availability in a 0.1 mL unit dose container, BeautiBond comes with microbrushes.
Evaluators were asked about the importance of a delivery system when considering the purchase of a bonding agent. Seven evaluators said the delivery system is very important, 4 said it is important, and 2 responded neutral.
When asked to rate the delivery system of BeautiBond, 6 evaluators rated this feature as excellent, 4 rated it as very good, 3 rated it as good, and 1 rated it as poor. The evaluator who gave the delivery system a poor rating said, “The unit dose container was not balanced enough to support an application brush to remain inside.” This same evaluator gave BeautiBond an overall satisfaction rating of very good and said he would probably purchase it in the future.
An evaluator from New York City with 30 years of experience said, “Good delivery system,” and “good adaptation to cavity preparation.”
Handling and Film Thickness
According to the manufacturer, the stable bottle design provides clinicians with great chairside handling. Eight evaluators rated handling as excellent and 6 rated this feature as very good. One evaluator commented, “Easy to manage. My instruments didn’t stick while placing my composite.”
The evaluators were also asked to rate the ease of use associated with the low film thickness of BeautiBond. Nine evaluators rated this feature as excellent, 4 rated it as very good, and 1 rated it as good. When asked what they liked best about the product, one evaluator from Marysville, CA, said, “thin film thickness.” This same evaluator added, “Sometimes it was hard to tell if any of the product was actually on the applicator because it was so thin.”
Patient Sensitivity
According to the manufacturer, BeautiBond limits the risk of postoperative sensitivity. Six evaluators rated lack of patient sensitivity when using Beauti- Bond as excellent and 8 rated it as very good. One evaluator said, “My patients had less sensitivity after using this bonding agent compared to what I have been using.” Another evaluator reported “no patient sensitivity.”
Overall Satisfaction
The evaluators were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with Beauti- Bond. Five evaluators rated overall satisfaction as excellent and 9 rated it as very good. In addition, 7 evaluators said they would definitely recommend BeautiBond to colleagues.
An evaluator with 25 years of experience and who would definitely recommend BeautiBond to colleagues, said, “I had no failures in the month of use, which is excellent.”
