Effect of metal conditioner application on bond strength of luting cements to a noble metal

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adhesive performance of luting cements to a noble metal alloy treated with metal conditioners. Cast disk specimens made of a noble metal alloy were gritblasted with alumina followed by no treatment or priming with two different types of metal conditioner. A mold was placed on the metal surface and filled with luting cement. Ten samples per test group were stored in 37 degrees C distilled water for 24 hours, then shear tested at a cross-head speed of 1.0 mm/minute. ANOVA and Tukey's HSD tests (alpha = 0.05) were done. The mean bond strength of resin-modified glass ionomer cement increased significantly with metal conditioner application compared to the controls, indicating the efficacy of the tested metal conditioners in improving bond strength. Based on the results of this study, it seemed to be a useful method to incorporate a functional monomer into resin cements so as to improve the bond strength to a noble metal alloy.