Bonding Strength Evaluation on Metal/Ceramic Interfaces in Dental Materials

This study measured the bond strength / failure initiation of a set of metal/ceramic pairs of dental application. It was analized the variation of the bond strength depending on the employed materials and the surface treatment on the metal bases. Two types of alloys were evaluated, a Co-Cr-based and a Ti-based. For the metals surface treatments, techniques of polishing, sandblasting, traditional oxidizing (in Co-Cr) and anodized (in Ti) were applied. Different commercial ceramics were applied (Carmen Dentaurum for Co-Cr and Triceram Dentaurum for Ti). Appropriate heat treatments for firing the ceramic were performed. Adhesion tests were performed by a three point flexural method, on the basis of the IRAM-ISO 9693 Standard. The results were statistically analyzed, highlighting the improvement in the metal/ceramic adhesion when the metal surfaces are sandblasted and the slight improvement that occurs in the anodized Ti-type pairs. Additionally, some interfaces were characterized using techniques of optical and electron microscopy (SEM-EDS). Finally, the work discussed about how the different conditions of the metal surface at the interface influence the characteristics of the bond between metal and ceramic.