Commercial Yttria-tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (Y-TZP) was subjected to surface treatments, and the bond strength of dual resin cement to Y-TZP and failure modes were evaluated. Disks (12 mm × 2 mm), cylinders (7 mm × 3.3 mm), and bars (25 mm × 5 mm × 2 mm) were milled from Y-TZP CAD-CAM blocks, divided into seven groups, and subjected to different surface treatments; silicatization was used as control. On the basis of the literature, this study evaluated modifications with films containing SiO2 nanoparticles and silane; SiO2+ZrO2—SiO2 (50%) and ZrO2 (50%) nanoparticles, SiO2+ZrO2/Silane-SiO2 (50%) and ZrO2 (50%) nanoparticles, and silane. Specimens were analyzed by wettability (n = 3), surface free energy (n = 3), X-ray diffraction (n = 1), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) (n = 1), roughness (n = 5), shear bond test (n = 10), and dynamic modulus (n = 3). Specimens treated with hydrofluoric acid—HF 40% presented significantly higher contact angle and lowest surface free energy (p < 0.05). The SiO2/Silane presented crystalline SiO2 on the surface. The surface roughness was significantly higher for groups treated with nanofilms (p < 0.05). Shear bond strength was significantly higher for silicatization, HF 40%/silicatization, SiO2/Silane, and SiO2+ZrO2/Silane groups. The proposed treatments with nanofilms had potentially good results without prejudice to the physicochemical characteristics of zirconia. Generally, groups that underwent silica surface deposition and silanization had better bond strength (p < 0.005).
Keywords: Y-TZP zirconia; bond strength; surface treatment.