The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of air abrasion and plasma treatment on the bond strength between resin and ceriastabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals/alumina (Ce-TZP/Al2O3). Ce-TZP/Al2O3 specimens were ground with #1000 silicon-carbide paper, air abraded with alumina, and then exposed to glow-discharge plasma (Abrasion/Plasma). Specimens without air abrasion and/or plasma exposure were also prepared as controls (Abrasion/No plasma, No abrasion/Plasma, and No abrasion/No plasma). The specimens were bonded to resin composite disks with a self-adhesive resin cement (SA) or a luting composite containing no functional monomer (LC). Shear bond strengths were determined after 10,000 thermocycles at 4 and 60°C, and the data were analyzed by nonparametric tests (α=0.05, n=8/group). When using SA, the Abrasion/Plasma specimens exhibited the highest bond strength, followed by the Abrasion/No plasma, No abrasion/Plasma, and No abrasion/No plasma specimens. For LC, neither air abrasion nor plasma treatment exhibited any significant effect on bond strength.
Keywords: Bond strength; Surface modification; Zirconia.