Dental zirconia can be etched by hydrofluoric acid.

The surface morphology and crystal structure change of dental zirconia after hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching were evaluated. Four groups of sintered zirconia specimens were 1) control group, 2) immersion in 9.5%HF at 25°C for 1, 2, 3, or 24 h, 3) immersion in 9.5%HF at 80°C for 1, 3, 5, or 30 min and 4) immersion in 48%HF at 25°C for 30 or 60 min. The specimens were evaluated under SEM and XRD. The SEM analysis revealed changes in surface topography for all the HF-etched zirconia specimens. The irregularities surface increased with increasingly longer immersion times and higher etching solution temperatures. The XRD analysis of the HFetched zirconia specimens revealed the presence of a crystalline monoclinic phase along with a tetragonal form. It was concluded HF can etch dental zirconia ceramic, creating micro-morphological changes. Tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformation was induced on the etched zirconia surface.