Effect of metal primers on microtensile bond strength between zirconia and resin cements

Statement of problem There are no established clinical procedures for bonding zirconia to tooth structure using resin cements. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of metal primers, resin cements, and aging on bonding to zirconia. Material and methods Zirconia was treated with commercial primers developed for bonding to metal alloys (Metaltite, Metal Primer II, Alloy Primer or Totalbond). Non-primed specimens were considered as controls. One-hundred disk-shaped specimens (19 × 4 mm) were cemented to composite resin substrates using Panavia or RelyX Unicem (n=5). Microtensile bond strength specimens were tested after 48 hours and 5 months (150 days), and failure modes were classified as type 1 (between ceramic/cement), 2 (between composite resin/cement) or 3 (mixed). Data were analyzed by 3-way ANOVA and Multiple Comparison Tukey test (α=.05). Results The interactions primer/luting system ( P =.016) and luting system/storage time ( P =.004) were statistically significant. The use of Alloy Primer significantly improved the bond strength of RelyX Unicem ( P