Etched castings as an adjunct to mouth preparation for removable partial dentures

Electrochemically etched nonprecious metal castings have been bonded to etched enamel for use in mouth preparation procedures for removable partial denture placement. The castings have been in service and subject to loading by the dentures for 26 to 42 months. To date, bond strengths have been sufficient to support function of both castings and removable partial dentures clinically. None of the castings has failed in its bond. Evidence that the technique may be a valuable adjunct is building in the field of prosthodontics. Use may be far reaching as dentists apply the concept to a wide variety of patient requirements in dental treatment. As more commercial dental laboratories acquire the capability to etch metals, cost should be minimized. Application is not time-consuming. Some steps are technique-sensitive, however, and short cuts are not well tolerated. This is especially true of cementation procedures where moisture or contamination of the field may lead to failure of the bond. It should be noted that each nonprecious metal is different from other metals in its composition, and therefore, results and techniques reported in this study can only be cited for the metal used. In addition, the acid used for etching one alloy may not be effective on another alloy. Finally, it is important that all castings be checked under a binocular microscope to ensure that proper etching did occur. Underetching and overetching both lead to a weakened bond and potential failure.