Effect of the composition and manufacturing process on the resin microtensile bond strength to ceramics

The present study aimed to investigate the bond strength between resin cement and different glass-ceramics manufactured in different processing systems using two different microtensile bond strength test (μTBs) assemblies (ceramic-ceramic or ceramic-dentin). For this, ceramic blocks were fabricated with adhesive surface area of 5 × 5 mm to test the different possibilities combining the two different glass-ceramic compositions (feldspathic – FEL and lithium disilicate - LD), the three manufacturing-processes (CAD/CAM, heat-pressed or layered for FEL; CAD/CAM or heat-pressed for LD) and the two μTBS assemblies (ceramic-ceramic or ceramic-dentin). Half of the samples of each ceramic evaluated were made by cementing the ceramic blocks in another ceramic block and the other half by cementing the ceramic blocks in ground molars with exposed dentin, using resin cement (Rely X ARC, 3 M ESPE). The samples were stored for 24 h in distilled water at 37 °C and then sectioned into microbars (±1 mm², n = 30). These specimens were submitted to the μTBS and the data were analyzed by specific statistical tests (α = 0.05). The fractured surfaces were examined under a stereomicroscope and the failure mode was classified. In addition, finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to observe the maximum tensile stress in the resin cement when a μTBS load was applied (10 N) and during the resin cement polymerization shrinkage. The CAD/CAM glass-ceramics have better bond strength than the other evaluated manufacturing processes, the LD groups had higher μTBS values than the FEL groups in ceramic-ceramic assembly; dentin as a substrate (ceramic-dentin assembly) had a negative influence on the results for all evaluated materials. Regarding the FEA results, the maximum tensile stress in ceramic-ceramic groups was 16.1–16.5 MPa (when 10 N load was simulated), and 50.8–51.2 MPa (during the resin cement polymerization shrinkage). For the ceramic-dentin groups, the maximum tensile stress was 16.9 and 17.1 MPa on the ceramic side and 17.6 and 17.8 MPa on the dentin side (10 N load simulation); 49.8 and 49.4 MPa on the ceramic side and 49.7 and 49.4 MPa on the dentin side (resin cement polymerization shrinkage). Different glass-ceramic compositions and manufacturing processes induced distinct bond strength values (LD had better results). Moreover, the μTBS assembly interferes with the results obtained, having the ceramic-ceramic set-up inducing higher bond results than the ceramic-dentin arrangement.