OBJECTIVES: In this study, we evaluated the antibacterial activity of self-etching adhesive systems against Streptococcus mutans using the agar diffusion method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three 2-step systems, Clearfil SE Bond (SE, Kuraray), Contax (CT, DMG), and Unifil Bond (UnB, GC), and three 1-step systems, Easy Bond (EB, 3M ESPE), U-Bond (UB, Vericom), and All Bond SE (AB, BISCO) were used. 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX, Bukwang) and 37% phosphoric acid gel (PA, Vericom) were used as positive controls. RESULTS: The antibacterial activity of CHX and PA was stronger than that of the other groups, except SE. After light activation, the inhibition zone was reduced in the case of all 2-step systems except CT. However, all 1-step systems did not exhibit any inhibition zone upon the light activation. CONCLUSIONS: SE may be better than CT or UnB among the 2-step systems with respect to antibacterial activity, however, 1-step systems do not exhibit any antibacterial activity after light curing.