Effect of prior silane application on the bond strength of a universal adhesive to a lithium disilicate ceramic.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Universal adhesives combine silane and various monomers in a single bottle to make them more versatile. Their adhesive performance is unclear.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this in vitro study was to assess the effects of an additional silane application before using a universal adhesive on the adhesion between a disilicate glass ceramic and a composite resin by using a microshear bond strength test (μSBS) and fracture analysis immediately and after thermocycling.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

One hundred lithium disilicate glass ceramic disks were divided into 10 groups for bond strength testing according to the following 3 surface treatments: silane application (built-in universal adhesive or with additional application), adhesive (Adper Single Bond Plus [SB, 3M ESPE], Scotchbond Universal Adhesive [U, 3M ESPE], and mixed U with Dual Cure Activator [DCA, 3M ESPE]); or thermocycling (half of the specimens were thermocycled 10000 times). After surface treatment, 5 resin cylinders were bonded to each disk and submitted to a μSBS test. The failure mode was analyzed under a stereomicroscope and evaluated by scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Data from the μSBS test were analyzed by 3-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey HSD post hoc test (α=.05).

RESULTS

An additional silane application resulted in a higher μSBS result for all adhesive groups (P<.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Ceramic surface treatment influenced the performance of adhesives, which may be improved with an additional silane application.