Post-etching cleaning and resin/ceramic bonding: microtensile bond strength and EDX analysis

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Adhesive Dentistry

Background:

• Bonding resin composites to ceramic restorations is crucial for longevity.
• Different post-etching cleaning techniques can influence the bond strength between resin composites and ceramics.
• Optimizing surface treatment is essential for durable dental restorations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the microtensile bond strength of resin composite bonded to two heat-pressed ceramics (IPS Empress Esthetic and IPS Empress 2).
• To compare the efficacy of various post-etching cleaning techniques on bond strength.
• To determine the impact of cleaning methods on resin-ceramic adhesion.

Main Methods:

• Etching ceramic disks with 10% hydrofluoric acid, followed by different cleaning protocols: no cleaning, air-water spray, phosphoric acid etching, ultrasonic bath, combined methods, or a silane/bonding system.
• Bonding resin composite specimens and testing microtensile bond strength.
• Utilizing Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis for surface characterization.

Main Results:

• For IPS Empress 2, no cleaning resulted in significantly lower bond strength compared to air-water spray and ultrasonic bath.
• For IPS Empress Esthetic, significant differences in bond strength were observed between the no-cleaning group, the silane/bonding system group, and other cleaning techniques.
• SEM and EDX analyses provided insights into elemental distribution and surface morphology.

Conclusions:

• Air-water spray is a viable post-etching cleaning technique for both tested ceramics.
• The presence of residues did not significantly compromise the bond strength of resin composite to IPS Empress 2.
• Proper cleaning protocols are important for optimizing resin-ceramic adhesion, with air-water spray offering a practical solution.