Bonding effectiveness to different chemically pre-treated dental zirconia

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Dental zirconia restorations require durable adhesive interfaces for long-term clinical success.
• Various chemical pre-treatments aim to improve the micromechanical retention and chemical bonding to zirconia surfaces.
• Understanding the efficacy of different primers post-mechanical aging is crucial for reliable cementation protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the influence of distinct chemical pre-treatment agents on the bond durability of dental zirconia.
• To compare the effectiveness of four different zirconia primers following tribochemical sandblasting.
• To assess the impact of mechanical aging on the bond strength and stability of cemented zirconia specimens.

Main Methods:

• Zirconia blocks underwent tribochemical silica sandblasting followed by pre-treatment with four different primers.
• Specimens were bonded using composite cement and subjected to either immediate testing or mechanical aging (cyclic tensile stress).
• Micro-tensile bond strength testing and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) fractographic analysis were performed to evaluate bond integrity.

Main Results:

• Weibull analysis indicated the highest bond durability for the Clearfil Ceramic Primer combined with mechanical aging.
• Pre-treatments with Clearfil Ceramic Primer and Monobond Plus resulted in significantly higher bond strengths compared to Scotchbond Universal and Z-PRIME Plus.
• Clearfil Ceramic Primer demonstrated the most stable bond durability after mechanical aging, highlighting its effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• A combined mechanical and chemical pre-treatment strategy, utilizing either Clearfil Ceramic Primer or Monobond Plus, yields the most durable bond to zirconia.
• The application of a 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate/silane ceramic primer is clinically recommended for achieving durable zirconia-to-tooth bonds.