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Bonding of Clear Aligner Composite Attachments to Ceramic Materials: An In Vitro Study
Bashair A Alsaud1, Maher S Hajjaj2, Ahmad I Masoud1
1Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 24, 2022
Summary
Surface conditioning, bonding agents, and composite type significantly impact clear aligner attachments bonded to ceramics. Air abrasion with Assure Universal Bond and Filtek Z350 yielded the highest shear bond strength.
Area of Science:
- Dental Materials Science
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Orthodontic Technology
Background:
- Clear aligner therapy relies on composite attachments bonded to ceramic restorations.
- Optimizing the bond strength and surface characteristics of these attachments is crucial for treatment efficacy.
- Ceramic surface conditioning methods, bonding agents, and composite resin types are key variables influencing bond performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the influence of different surface conditioning techniques (hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid, air abrasion) on ceramic surface roughness.
- To assess the shear bond strength (SBS) of clear aligner composite attachments bonded to ceramic using various conditioning methods, bonding agents, and composite resins.
- To identify optimal combinations of surface treatment, bonding agent, and composite for enhanced bond durability.
Main Methods:
- IPS e.max CAD ceramic specimens were prepared and subjected to four surface conditioning methods: control, 9.6% hydrofluoric acid (HFA), 37% phosphoric acid (PhA), and air abrasion (AA).
- Surface roughness (SR) was measured using profilometry and Atomic Force Microscopy.
- Shear bond strength (SBS) was tested using an Instron machine after applying two bonding agents (Assure Universal Bond - AUB, Single Bond Universal - SBU) and two composite types (Filtek™ Z350, Filtek™ Z350 XT flowable).
Main Results:
- Air abrasion (AA) resulted in the highest surface roughness (SR), while the control group showed the lowest SR.
- While not statistically significant, hydrofluoric acid (HFA) and air abrasion (AA) showed higher SBS compared to other methods.
- Assure Universal Bond (AUB) demonstrated significantly higher SBS than Single Bond Universal (SBU) (p < 0.001).
- Filtek™ Z350 exhibited significantly higher SBS than Filtek™ Z350 XT flowable composite (p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
- Air abrasion significantly increases ceramic surface roughness, potentially enhancing mechanical interlocking for bonding.
- The combination of air abrasion (AA), Assure Universal Bond (AUB), and Filtek™ Z350 composite provided the highest shear bond strength.
- Hydrofluoric acid (HFA) with AUB and Filtek™ Z350 also showed promising results for bonding clear aligner attachments to ceramics.
