Statement of the problem: The conventional methods of adhesive bonding used in silica containing ceramics cannot be used for bonding of zirconia due to absence of silica.
Objective: The study was designed to evaluate the effect of different surface treatments on the shear bond strength of cubic zirconia before and after aging.
Materials and Methods: A total of 56 cubic zirconia plates with dimensions (10mm length and 10mm width and 2mm thickness) were divided into four groups according to surface treatment (Group 1;No treatment n=14, Group 2; Air abrasion 50µm AL2O3 particles for 15 seconds n=14, Group 3; CO2 laser at 10W for 10 seconds n=14, Group 4; CO2 laser at 20W for 10 seconds n=14), then each group was subdivided into 2 subgroups which are(Group a: before aging) and (Group b: after aging) n=7. All specimens were cemented with MDP resin cement (Panavia SA cement plus) and stored in a distilled water for 24 hours. Then shear bond strength test (SBS) was assessed in MPa with a universal testing machine before and after thermocycling.
Results: The results of this study clearly showed that the samples treated with CO2 laser groups at 20 W have the highest shear bond strength of resin cement to zirconia ceramic followed by CO2 at 10 W followed by sandblasting group and the control group showed the least shear bond strength.
Conclusion: The application of CO2 laser surface treatment enhanced the shear bond strength of ultra-translucent zirconia to MDP containing resin cement.