The purpose of this study was to quantify phase transformation after hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching at various concentrations on the surface of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP), and to evaluate changes in bonding strength before and after thermal cycling.

A group whose Y-TZP surface was treated with tribochemical silica abrasion (TS) was used as the control. Y-TZP specimens from each experimental group were etched with 5%, 10%, 20%, and 40% HF solutions at room temperature for 10 minutes. First, to quantify the phase transformation, Y-TZP specimens (n = 5) treated with TS, 5%, 10%, 20% and 40% HF solutions were subjected to X-ray diffraction. Second, to evaluate the change in bond strength before and after thermal cycling, zirconia primer and MDP-containing resin cement were sequentially applied to the Y-TZP specimen. After 5,000 thermal cycles for half of the Y-TZP specimens, shear bond strength was measured for all experimental groups (n = 10).

The monoclinic phase content in the 40% HF-treated group was higher than that of the 5%, 10%, and 20% HF-treated groups, but lower than that of TS-treated group (p < 0.05). The 40% HF-treated group showed significantly higher bonding strength than the TS, 5%, and 10% HF-treated groups, even after thermal cycling (p < 0.05).

Through this experiment, the group treated with SiO₂ containing air-borne abrasion on the Y-TZP surface showed higher phase transformation and higher reduction in bonding strength after thermal cycling compared to the group treated with high concentration HF.

This study investigated the effects of a hydrofluoric acid (HA; solution of hydrogen fluoride [HF] in water)-based smart etching (SE) solution at an elevated temperature on yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) ceramics in terms of bond strength and morphological changes.

Eighty sintered Y-TZP specimens were prepared for shear bond strength (SBS) testing. The bonding surface of the Y-TZP specimens was treated with 37% phosphoric acid etching at 20°C–25°C, 4% HA etching at 20°C–25°C, or HA-based SE at 70°C–80°C. In all groups, zirconia primers were applied to the bonding surface of Y-TZP. For each group, 2 types of resin cement (with or without methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate [MDP]) were used. SBS testing was performed. Topographic changes of the etched Y-TZP surface were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The results were analyzed and compared using 2-way analysis of variance.

Regardless of the type of resin cement, the highest bond strength was measured in the SE group, with significant differences compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). In all groups, MDP-containing resin cement yielded significantly higher bond strength values than MDP-free resin cement (p < 0.05). It was also shown that the Y-TZP surface was etched by the SE solution, causing a large change in the surface topography.

Bond strength significantly improved when a heated HA-based SE solution was applied to the Y-TZP surface, and the etched Y-TZP surface was more irregular and had higher surface roughness.

This study investigated the effect of continuous application of 10-methacryloyloxydecyldihydrogen phosphate (MDP)-containing primer and luting resin cement on bond strength to tribochemical silica-coated yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP).

Forty bovine teeth and Y-TZP specimens were prepared. The dentin specimens were embedded in molds, with one side of the dentin exposed for cementation with the zirconia specimen. The Y-TZP specimen was prepared in the form of a cylinder with a diameter of 3 mm and a height of 10 mm. The bonding surface of the Y-TZP specimen was sandblasted with silica-coated aluminium oxide particles. The forty tribochemical silica-coated Y-TZP specimens were cemented to the bovine dentin (4 groups; n = 10) with either an MDP-free primer or an MDP-containing primer and either an MDP-free resin cement or an MDP-containing resin cement. After a shear bond strength (SBS) test, the data were analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance and the Tukey test (α = 0.05).

The group with MDP-free primer and resin cement showed significantly lower SBS values than the MDP-containing groups (p < 0.05). Among the MDP-containing groups, the group with MDP-containing primer and resin cement showed significantly higher SBS values than the other groups (p < 0.05).

The combination of MDP-containing primer and luting cement following tribochemical silica coating to Y-TZP was the best choice among the alternatives tested in this study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of adhesive luting on the fracture resistance of zirconia compared to that of a composite resin and a lithium disilicate glass ceramic.

The specimens (dimension: 2 mm × 2 mm × 25 mm) of the composite resin, lithium disilicate glass ceramic, and yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) were prepared. These were then divided into nine groups: three non-luting groups, three non-adhesive luting groups, and three adhesive luting groups, for each restorative material. In the non-luting groups, specimens were placed on the bovine tooth without any luting agents. In the non-adhesive luting groups, only zinc phosphate cement was used for luting the specimen to the bovine tooth. In the adhesive luting groups, specimens were pretreated, and the adhesive luting procedure was performed using a self-adhesive resin cement. For all the groups, a flexural test was performed using universal testing machine, in which the fracture resistance was measured by recording the force at which the specimen was fractured.

The fracture resistance after adhesive luting increased by approximately 29% in the case of the composite resin, 26% in the case of the lithium disilicate glass ceramic, and only 2% in the case of Y-TZP as compared to non-adhesive luting.

The fracture resistance of Y-TZP did not increased significantly after adhesive luting as compared to that of the composite resin and the lithium disilicate glass ceramic.