FACTORS AFFECTING THE ADHERENCE ENERGY OF EXPERIMENTAL RESIN CEMENTS BONDED TO A NICKEL-CHROMIUM ALLOY

Reliable adherence of resin-based cements is of prime importance for the longevity of cemented restorations. The present study investigated whether a relationship exists between adherence energy to a metal substrate and the degree of cross-linking and wetting characteristics of resin-based luting agents. The adherence energies between a sand-blasted metal surface and a series of experimental resin cements were measured by means of the wedge test. The degree of cross-linking was calculated from the monomer composition of the resin cements. The measured wetting characteristics were work of adhesion and surface tension, and their dispersive and polar components. Adherence energy varied between 22 and 81 J/m(2) and was influenced by the nature of the resin cements: Those with a low degree of cross-linking resulted in high adherence values. Furthermore, resin cements whose monomers were relatively polar gave rise to high adherence values. Although other metals may not behave in exactly the same way, these results may help in the formulation of new, more retentive resin cements.