Shear bond strength of zirconia to resin: The effects of specimen preparation and loading procedure

PURPOSE: Shear bond strength (SBS) test is the most commonly used method for evaluating resin bond strength of zirconia, but SBS results vary among different studies even when evaluating the same bonding strategy. The purpose of this study was to promote standardization of the SBS test in evaluating zirconia ceramic bonding and to investigate factors that may affect the SBS value of a zirconia/resin cement/composite resin bonding specimen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The zirconia/resin cement/composite resin bonding specimens were used to simulate loading with a shear force by the three-dimensional finite element (3D FE) modeling, in which stress distribution under uniform/non-uniform load, and different resin cement thickness and different elastic modulus of resin composite were analyzed. In vitro SBS test was also performed to validate the results of 3D FE analysis. RESULTS: The loading flat width was an important affecting factor. 3D FE analysis also showed that differences in resin cement layer thickness and resin composite would lead to the variations of stress accumulation area. The SBS test result showed that the load for preparing a SBS specimen is negatively correlated with the resin cement thickness and positively correlated with SBS values. CONCLUSION: When preparing a SBS specimen for evaluating bond performance, the load flat width, the load applied during cementation, and the different composite resins used affect the SBS results and therefore should be standardized.