Adhesive Failure
A mode of bond failure in which fracture occurs at the interface between the adhesive and one of the substrates (tooth or restoration), rather than within the material itself.
Full Definition
Adhesive failure (also termed interfacial failure) occurs when a bonded interface fractures at the adhesive–substrate boundary, leaving one surface essentially clean and the other coated with adhesive or material. It is distinguished from cohesive failure, in which fracture runs through the bulk of the adhesive, material, or substrate, and from mixed failure, which exhibits characteristics of both modes. In bond-strength testing manuscripts, the failure mode classification is as important as the numerical strength value and must be verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or stereomicroscopy. Editors should ensure that the failure mode analysis method is reported and that percentages of adhesive, cohesive, and mixed failures sum to 100%.
Usage
Usage note: Always report alongside cohesive failure data in bond-strength studies. Ensure failure percentages sum to 100%. Editors should flag tables where failure modes are reported without a clearly stated assessment method (e.g., stereomicroscope magnification).
In Context
- "Seventy per cent of failures in the self-etch group were classified as adhesive failures at the resin–dentine interface." — Results section, micro-tensile bond strength study
- "The editor queried why the failure mode data in Table 3 did not include cohesive or mixed failures, noting that adhesive failures alone cannot sum to 100% in a valid dataset." — Peer review editorial query, adhesive dentistry manuscript