Evaluation of porcelain surface treatments and agents for composite-to-porcelain repair.

Intraoral repairs often involve bonding composite to fractured porcelain. Newer adhesive systems, currently referred to as multipurpose systems, include materials with recommended procedures for repair of porcelain. This laboratory study evaluated various treatment regimens with the ProBond adhesive system. Three different porcelain surface procedures were used: (1) air abrasion with aluminum oxide (50 microm), (2) 8% hydrofluoric acid, and (3) air abrasion and hydrofluoric acid. Eight different treatment procedures were then used to bond 10 composite cylinders to porcelain surfaces in each group. Shear bond strengths (in megapascals) were determined with an Instron testing machine after storage in water for 24 hours at 37 degrees C and after 3 months of storage and thermocycling. The combination of air abrasion and hydrofluoric acid on porcelain surfaces before bonding composite recorded the most consistently effective bond strengths. Four of the treatment regimens in the air abrasion groups yielded low bond strengths at 3 months. This study also indicated that silane treatment of porcelain is critical for development of suitable bond strengths for composite.