Effect of non-thermal plasma on the shear bond strength of resin cements to Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK)

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the effect of non-thermal plasma on the shear bond strength of resin cements to polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) in comparison to other surface treatment methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty PEKK discs were subjected to different surface treatments: (1) Untreated (UT); (2) Non-thermal plasma (NTP); (3) Sandblasting with 50 µm Al(2)O(3) particles (SB); and (4) Sandblasting + Non-thermal plasma (SB+NTP). After each surface treatment, the contact angle was measured. Surface conditioning with Visio.Link was applied in all groups after pre-treatment. RelyX Unicem resin cement was bonded onto the PEKK specimens. After fabrication of the specimens, half of each group (n=10) was initially tested, while the other half was subjected to thermocycling (5℃ to 55℃ at 10,000 cycles). Shear bond strength (SBS) testing was performed using a universal testing machine, and failure modes were assessed using stereomicroscopy. The SBS results were analyzed statistically using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post hoc test. Independent t-test was used to examine the effect of thermocycling (P<.05). RESULTS: The highest SBS values with or without thermocycling were observed with PEKK specimens that were treated with SB+NTP followed by the SB group. The lowest SBS results were observed in the UT groups. CONCLUSION: The shear bond strength between PEKK and resin cements was improved using non-thermal plasma treatment in combination with sandblasting.