The effect of using 40% HF treatment on the shear bond strength of the zirconia surface in comparison to conventional surface treatment methods

Introduction: The goal of this investigation was to examine how various surface preparation techniques affect the Shear Bond Strength (SBS) of resin cement to zirconia restorations. Methods: 120 samples of zirconia ceramic disks in eight categories (10 x 3 mm) were randomly selected: 1. Control group (no surface treatments), 2. AL₂O₃ particle sandblasting, 3. 2.5 W Nd/YAG laser, 4. 3 W Nd/YAG laser, 5. Sandblasting plus 2.5 W Nd/YAG laser, 6. Sandblasting plus 3 W Nd/YAG laser, 7. 40% Hydrofluoric acid (HF), and 8. Sandblasting plus 40% HF. The analysis of one sample from each group was done using scanning. PANAVIA F2 dual-cure resin cement was then used to attach the samples to the composite resin. After thermocycling, the present researchers conducted the shear bond strength test utilizing the universal testing machine. The data were statistically evaluated using the Welch and Games-Howell tests, with a significance threshold of 0.05. Results: A statistically significant difference (P<0.001) was seen between the SBS of the control and other groups. Comparison of SBS values with other groups revealed no statistically significant differences, except when compared to the control group (P>0.05). Sandblasting with HF acid etching had the greatest SBS, measuring 13.04 MPa. Out of all the groups, the SBS value was lowest for the control group (3.85 MPa). In terms of fracture type, the control group experienced more adhesive fractures. In the sandblasting and 3 W laser groups, the mixed and adhesive fractures were equal, and the mixed fracture was the most common type in the other groups. Conclusion: The greatest SBS was obtained by sandblasting combined with etching. Nevertheless, this disparity was not statistically significant. In all groups but the control group, the SBS was not statistically significant.