SUMMARY The purpose of this study was to evaluate the chemical bonds of a self-etch 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (10-MDP) adhesive to natural noncarious cervical lesions (NCCLs) and compare them with those occurring in sclerotic dentin in artificially prepared defects (APDs). Four human teeth with natural NCCLs on the buccal surface were selected. Artificial defects matching the natural lesions were prepared on the lingual surface of the same teeth serving as control. Micro-Raman (MR) spectroscopy was used to quantify mineral content in natural NCCLs and in APDs. Fourier transform infrared-photoacoustic spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS) readouts were taken before and after adhesive application to analyze the protein matrix/mineral (M:M) ratio and chemical interactions between 10-MDP adhesive and dentin. The MR and FTIR-PAS spectra collected from natural NCCLs demonstrated a larger area of the band (961 cm−1, PO4) and lower M:M ratio, respectively, characterizing a hypermineralized dentin, compared with APDs. FTIR-PAS demonstrated emergence of a peak (1179 cm−1, P=O) in spectra after adhesive treatment, demonstrating a more intense chemical interaction in natural NCCLs. The results demonstrated that chemical bonding of 10-MDP adhesive to natural NCCLs is more intense, due to the hypermineralized surface, and suggest that it is unnecessary to remove the hypermineralized layer with burs, as this may decrease the chemical bonding potential of 10-MDP.