Available online 2 March 2024

Zirconium dioxide (zirconia) cannot be etched in a clinical setting, but zirconia restorations with minimal to no micromechanical bonding are approved and widely used in contemporary dentistry. However, information on the shear bond strength of zirconia and adhesive cement, on the effect of an added proportion of yttria, and on the effect of aging is lacking.

The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the shear bond strength of cement luted to zirconia and the effect of aging.

A total of 131 test specimens were made from 4 zirconia materials with different amounts of yttria added to formulate yttria-partially stabilized zirconia (Y-PSZ); 3Y-PSZ (n=32), 4Y-PSZ (n=34), and 2 5Y-PSZs (n=32 and n=33). A dual-polymerizing cement and 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate-containing primer were used. All specimens were stored in water at 37 °C, half of them for 24 hours and the other half for 6 months. After aging, the specimens were subjected to a shear bond strength test with a notched crosshead according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 29022:2013 standard. The data were analyzed using the independent 2-sample t test, ANOVA, and the Levene test (α=.05).

The 3Y-PSZ material had higher mean ±standard deviation shear bond strength (31.83 ±12.80 MPa) compared with 4Y-PSZ (23.34 ±7.66 MPa) after 24 hours of aging in water and higher (28.98 ±14.03 MPa) than 4Y-PSZ (14.35 ±9.62 MPa) and one of the 5Y-PSZ (16.05 ±11.34 MPa) after 6 months. Debonding before loading occurred in all groups except for one of the 5Y-PSZ groups.

Zirconia without macromechanical retention, regardless of an added proportion of yttria, showed high shear bond strength, but the tested materials also had a high coefficient of variance, which, in practice, leads to the risk of the occasional debonding of zirconia restorations.

Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the Editorial Council of The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry.