Effect of different surface treatments on the repair bond strength of resin composites with titanium

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different surface treatment combinations on the bonding of composite resins to NiCr and titanium alloys after thermal cycling. Square-shaped specimens (10?mm x 10?mm x 2?mm) were made from NiCr and titanium alloys. The specimens were divided into 6 pretreatment groups (n?=?11): (1) machined titanium (control, no treatment); (2) CoJet sand application; (3) grinding with a diamond bur; (4) metal primer application; (5) CoJet sand?+?metal primer application; and (6) grinding with a diamond bur?+?metal primer application. The surface roughness of the mechanically treated specimens (control, grinding, CoJet sand) was evaluated. The surface morphology of both metals and elemental composition were examined with SEM and EDS. The composite resin was applied to the specimens. Shear bond strength (SBS) was tested after thermal cycling (5000 cycles, 5?°C to 55?°C). Failure modes were determined. The data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, two-way ANOVA and post hoc Fisher’s LSD test (p?=?.05). For titanium specimens, the grinding?+?metal primer exhibited higher values than the other groups, and all groups showed higher SBS values than the control group. Combined use of CoJet sand, grinding with a diamond bur, and metal primer application would be useful for enhancing the bond strength of composite resin to titanium. The grinding of the NiCr surface with a diamond bur is the only method that could improve the bond strength of a composite resin compared to the other methods.