The Influence of Different Types of Surface Treatment on the Surface Roughness and Bond Strength of Zirconia (An in Vitro Study)

Abstract

Purpose: Evaluating the impact of various surface treatments on the adhesive strength between resin cement and zirconia surface.

Material and methods: Using an STL file, 60 monolithic zirconia discs (Vita YZ HT) with dimensions of 10 millimeters in diameter and 2 millimeters in height were produced. They were machined, sintered, and the surface was smoothed using 600, 800, and 1200 grit aluminum oxide paper. Four groups were created based on the surface treatment applied to the discs: no treatment (control), sandblasting, potassium hydrogen difluoride and Zircos-E solution. Resin cement cylinders (Panavia V5; Kuraray Noritake) were applied on zirconia discs using a custom mold. The shear bond strength was assessed subsequent to thermocycling. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been utilised to analyse the morphological alterations of a specimen from every group. A post-hoc Tukey's test (P < 0.05) and a two-way ANOVA were used to statistically analyse the data.

Results: The data analysis showed that the maximum shear bond strength values, measured at 128.933 ± 2.764Mpa, were obtained via airborne particle abrasion with 50-µm Al2O3. The values obtained by the control group were the lowest, at 50.933 ± 9.573 Mpa. The use of 50-µm Al2O3 in airborne particle abrasion caused a significant increase in shear bond strength values (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The adhesive strength between zirconia and resin cement was improved by surface treatments, and airborne particle abrasion with 50-µm Al2O3 was shown to be an effective way to increase bond strength.