Aim: The present in-vitro study compared the shear bond strength of composite to dentin after various methods to remove excess water from the dentin. Materials and Methods: Sixty extracted human molars were used for the study that were randomly divided into 6 groups with 4 experimental (three-way syringe, cotton pellet, mini sponge, tissue paper) and 2 control groups (over dry, over wet). The exposed dentin surfaces were acid etched with 37% phosphoric acid for 20 seconds followed by thorough rinsing with water for 15 seconds. The teeth were kept visibly moist in all the experimental groups. Adhesive agent was applied on all specimens and restored with composite resin. The specimens were then subjected to shear bond strength tests and one specimen from each group was randomly selected for micro-morphological analysis of dentin. Results and Conclusion: Statistical analysis was done and data were tabulated to determine average shear bond strength for each group. The results indicated that the mean values in the group using tissue paper were significantly higher than the mean values in all the other experimental groups and control groups
