Objectives:The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effects of different repair protocols and artificial aging on the shear bond strength (SBS) of a composite to polymer-infiltrated ceramic network (PICN).
Materials and methods: A total of 120 PICN (Vita Enamic, Vita Zahnfabrik) specimens were prepared, artificially aged (5000 thermal cycles between 5°C-55°C), and assigned to 5 repair protocols: (1)TS: tribochemical silica coating (Rocatec Soft; 3M ESPE)+Single Bond Universal (SBU; 3M ESPE) (2)ES: etching with hydrofluoric acid (HF; Bisco)+SBU (3)EU:HF+Ultradent Porcelain Repair (UPRS; Ultradent Products Inc.) (4)GU: grinding with diamond bur (G)+UPRS (5)GI:G+Ivoclar Vivadent Ceramic Repair (Ivoclar Vivadent). All specimens received a composite resin cylinder (Clearfil Majesty Esthetic,Kuraray) formed with a silicone mold (4mm diameter, 2mm height) to simulate repair. Then, 2 subgroups were composed according to the artificial aging procedures as baseline and aging (5000 thermal cycles between 5°C-55°C) (n=12). The SBS tests were performed by using a universal testing machine. Failure types were classified as cohesive failure in PICN, cohesive failure in composite, adhesive,and mixed. The SBS data were analyzed with 1-way ANOVA, factorial ANOVA, LSD, and Duncan tests (α=0.05). Failure modes were calculated as a percentage for each group.Results:The baseline results showed that the mean SBS values for ES and GU were higher than TS (p<0.05). Considering artificially aged groups, ES showed higher SBS than EU and GU (p<0.05). SBS values for ES, EU, and GU groups decreased significantly after the artificial aging procedure compared to baseline (p<0.05). At baseline, the dominant failure mode was cohesive in PICN for all groups and no adhesive failures were observed for ES and GU groups. However, after aging, the only group that did not show adhesive failure was ES.
Conclusions:Considering the time-efficiency and effectiveness, etching with HF followed by Single Bond Universal application can be recommended as the intraoral repair protocol for PICN.