Bonding of ceramic insert to a laboratory particle filler composite

The push-out bond strength of cylindrical ceramic inserts (CI) to particulate filler resin composite (VC) was evaluated in this study. Various surface treatments to improve the adhesion of CI to resin composite were tested. Additionally, the effect of fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) laminate encapsulation around CI was tested. Feldspathic porcelain CI with a diameter of 3.1 mm was bonded to VC. Adhesive resin was used for bonding. In group 1, no surface treatment of CI was done. In group 2, CI was encapsulated with a thin layer of woven glass FRC. In group 3, the surface of the CI was tribochemically silica coated and silanized. In group 4, the surface of the CI was grit-blasted with 50 microm aluminum oxide and etched with hydrofluoric acid. In group 5, the grit-blasted CI was encapsulated with a layer of FRC. The specimens (n = 6/group) were either dry stored or thermocycled in water (6000 x 5-55 degrees C). The push-out test was carried out with a universal material testing machine. The highest push-out strength was achieved in group 5 (20.4 MPa) and the lowest in group 2 (11.5 MPa). ANOVA revealed that both surface treatment and storage condition had a significant effect on push-out strength (p < 0.05). We conclude that the additional glass FRC encapsulation can be used to increase the bond strength of insert to composite.