Abstract: Objective To investigate the durability of self-etch adhesives bonded to dentin in vitro.Methods Forty-two extracted human molars were selected and occlusal dentin surfaces were exposed.The teeth were randomly distributed into three groups based on adhesives applied.The one-step self-etch adhesive B(Adper Prompt) and C(G-Bond) and two-step self-etch adhesive A (Clearfil SE bond)were used.After application of the adhesives to the dentin surfaces,composite crowns were built up,after 24 h water storage,the teeth were sectioned longitudinally into sticks(1.0 mm × 1.0 mm bonding area) for microtensile testing or slabs (1 mm thick) for scanning electron microscopec (SEM) observation.Bonding strength(mTBS) and nano-leakage were evaluated immediately after cutting or after 6 months in water.The mTBS was analyzed using one-way ANOVA (SPSS 13.0).The nanoleakage was observed by SEM with a backscattered electron detector.Results Both adhesives and water storage time affected the mTBS.All adhesives showed decreased bond strength after six-month water aging [A dropped from (40.60 ±5.76) MPa to (36.04±3.15) MPa; B dropped from (19.06 ± 1.50) MPa to (11.19 ± 1.97) MPa; C dropped from (17.75 ± 1.10) MPa to (9.14 ± 1.15) MPa] (P < 0.05).B and C showed lower mTBS than A after aging (P < 0.05).Compared to A,nanoleakage was more obvious after aging for B and C.Conclusions All self-etch adhesives tested were probably influenced by water aging,however,the two-step adhesive showed better durability than the one-step adhesives.