Effect of silane and MDP-based primers on physico-chemical properties of zirconia and its bond strength to resin cement

•MDP and/or silane based primer/adhesive application affect zirconia properties.•Mechanical treatment and MDP primer are important for zirconia-bond durability.•Multicomponent primer/adhesive systems impair the MDP-zirconia chemical interaction. To evaluate the effect of surface treatments on yttria-tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) characteristics and on resin-mediated zirconia bond. Y-TZP slabs were grit blasted with 45μm alumina or with 30μm silica-coated alumina particles. The chemical treatments were: no-chemical treatment (NC), silane-containing primer (SP), MDP (10-Methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate) and silane-containing primer (MPS), MDP-containing primer (MP) and MDP and silane-containing adhesive (MPA). Contact angle as a function of surface roughness (θm) and surface roughness parameter (Sdr) were measured using Fringe Projection Phase Shifting (FPPS). Surface free energy (γsTOT) was calculated with a goniometer. Chemical interaction between primers/adhesive and zirconia was analyzed using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Resin cement microshear bond strength (μSBS) was analyzed at either 24-h or 8-months water storage (37°C). θm values, Sdr values, γsTOT and μSBS values were analyzed using Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Tukey test (α=0.05). Chemical treatment had an effect (p