Effect of various surface treatments on the retention properties of titanium to implant restorative cement

Abstract

There are conflicting results in the literature and divergent manufacturers' recommendations concerning the retention properties of implant restorative cements, and they can provide inadequate retention of implants, especially short or single implants. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of sandblasting and different types of laser irradiation on the interfacial bond between titanium and resin cement through shear testing. A total of 60 samples (10mm in length and 12mm in diameter) were cut from titanium rods. The samples were divided into four equal groups according to the surface treatment: control, sandblasted, Nd:YAG laser-irradiated, and Er:YAG laser-irradiated. After surface treatment, the implant restorative cements were applied to the titanium samples which were stored in distilled water at 37°C for 24h. The samples were then subjected to shear bond strength testing using a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 1mm/min. The data were analysed with the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests (α = 0.05). The highest mean bond strength was observed in the control group, followed by the sandblasted group. A statistically significant difference in shear bond strength was found between the sandblasted group and both the laser-irradiated groups (p < 0.05). The Nd:YAG laser-irradiated group had a higher mean shear bond strength than the Er:YAG laser-irradiated group. The treatments applied to the titanium surface did not improve the strength of the bond to the implant restorative cement.