The effects of the dentinal surface treatments from six currently available commercial dentinal adhesives are presented. The adhesives are All-Bond 2, etched and unetched, Syntac, Prisma Universal Bond 3, Scotchbond Multipurpose, Tenure Solution, and Adhesive By Choice. Unerupted third molar human teeth were sectioned and treated with the appropriate adhesive according to the manufac turer's directions. After the teeth were treated, they were processed for observation by scanning electron microscopy. Scanning-electron microscopic photomicrographs were made of each step in the process to show the effects of the constituents, including the adhesives, on the dentinal surface. For All-Bond 2, unetched, the smear layer was not removed before the primer and the adhesive were applied. The primer for Prisma Universal Bond 3 algtered the smear layer by reacting with it but did not produce a large demineralized zone in the dentin. All the other adhesives did remove the smear layer before the tooth was treated with the primer and adhesive.