Effects of different surface-treatment methods on the bond strengths of resin cements to full-ceramic systems

Abstract

Background/purpose Success with resin-bonded all-ceramic restorations is highly dependent on obtaining a reliable bond, which has to integrate all parts of the system into one coherent structure. There are still bonding problems that reduce the clinical success between restorations and cement in applications of full-ceramic systems. The purpose of this study was to determine whether surface-treatment methods can provide a stronger bonding between the cement and the full-ceramic materials by changing the superficial properties of the ceramic materials. Materials and methods Four different surface processes (sandblasting with Al 2O 3, Al 2O 3 sandblasting and chemical etching with hydrofluoric acid gel, blasting with soda and glass beads, and the Bateman etch retention system) were used as surface-treatment procedures. The first three procedures were applied to samples of IPS Empress and IPS Empress 2 ceramic discs. Sandblasting with Al 2O 3, blasting with soda and glass beads, and the Bateman etch retention system were applied to samples of In-Ceram ceramic discs. The discs were cemented to composite bars. Two types of cement were used, Rely X adhesive resin cement and Rely X modified glass ionomer cement and, all the samples were subjected to a shear test to evaluate their bond strengths. Results With the IPS Empress and the IPS Empress 2 ceramic discs, the best bonding was obtained in the group etched with Al 2O 3 sandblasting and hydrofluoric acid after cementation using the Rely X adhesive resin cement. The surfacing procedures applied to the In-Ceram materials did not change their bonding strengths. Conclusions The in vitro findings from this study indicate that surface-treatment procedures applied to the IPS Empress and the IPS Empress 2 full-ceramic systems are important when cement types are considered. In contrast, cement types and surface-treatment methods had no effect on changing the bond strength of the In-Ceram ceramic system.