Improved bonding of adhesive resin to sintered porcelain with the combination of acid etching and a two-liquid silane conditioner

This study determined the bond strengths of adhesive resins joined to a feldspathic porcelain (VMK 68) for the purpose of developing the most durable surface preparation for the porcelain. Three porcelain surfaces-ground, air-abraded with alumina, and etched with hydrofluoric acid-were prepared. A two-liquid porcelain conditioner that contained both 4-methacryloyloxyethyl trimellitate anhydride (4-META) and a silane coupler (Porcelain Liner M) was used as the priming agent. Each of the two liquid components of the conditioner was also used individually in order to examine the effects of the respective chemical ingredients on adhesive bonding. Two methyl methacrylate (MMA)-based resins initiated with tri-n-butylborane (TBB) either with or without 4-META (MMA-TBB and 4-META/MMA-TBB resins) were used as the luting agents. Shear bond strengths were determined both before and after thermocycling. Shear testing results indicated that thermocycling was effective for disclosing poor bonding systems, and that both mechanical and chemical retention were indispensable for bonding the porcelain. Of the combinations assessed, etching with hydrofluoric acid followed by two-liquid priming with the Porcelain Liner M material generated the most durable bond strength (33.3 MPa) for the porcelain bonded with the 4-META/MMA-TBB resin (Super-Bond C&B).