Comparative study of ceramic-to-metal bonding.

Dentists and technicians have used dental ceramics associated with different types of alloys without taking into account the characteristics of compatibility of these materials. Knowing the properties of the alloy and ceramic used in metal/ceramic restorations is a key factor for treatment success. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bond strength of a palladium-silver alloy (Pors-on 4) to 3 ceramics (Ceramco, Noritake and Vita VMK-68) using shear forces at the metal-ceramic interface. A stainless steel cylindrical matrix was used for preparation of the metal dies, application of ceramic and shear strength testing. Thirty palladium-silver alloy cylinders received two layers of opaque and two layers of body porcelain, and shear tests were performed in a universal testing machine at a cross-head speed of 0.5 mm/min. Shear bond strength means (in MPa) were: 28.21(Ceramco), 28.96 (Noritake) and 24.11 (Vita VMK-68). One-way ANOVA did not show statistically significant differences (p>0.05) among the materials. The results of this study indicate that the three evaluated ceramic systems are suitable to be used in combination with the tested palladium-silver alloy.