Surface Modification of In-Ceram Zirconia Ceramic by Nd:YAG Laser, Rocatec System, or Aluminum Oxide Sandblasting and Its Bond Strength to a Resin Cement

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different surface treatments on bond strength between In-Ceram Zirconia ceramic and Panavia Fluoro Cement. Although several surface treatments have been used on In-Ceram Zirconia, no study has been conducted to investigate the effect of the Nd:YAG laser. Nine In-Ceram Zirconia blocks (10 x 10 x 6 mm) received three different surface treatments (n = 3 per group): group 1-Al2O3 sandblasting + silane; group 2-Al2O3 sandblasting + Rocatec Plus + silane; and group 3-Al2O3 sandblasting + Nd:YAG laser + silane. Resin cement was applied and light-cured, followed by the application of composite resin. The blocks were sectioned to obtain square rods with a cross-sectional dimension of 1.0 mm2 (n = 12 per group). Microtensile bond strength (muTBS) was recorded using a universal testing machine at a cross-head speed of 0.5 mm/min and expressed in megapascals (MPa). All groups yielded statistically significantly different muTBS mean values: group 1 (11.81 +/- 3.12 MPa); group 2 (15.75 +/- 4.45 MPa); group 3 (18.70 +/- 5.14 MPa) (ANOVA and Tukey's test; alpha = 0.05). Nd:YAG laser irradiation is an effective surface treatment for bonding between In-Ceram Zirconia and Panavia Fluoro Cement.