Repair of monolithic zirconia restorations with different direct resin composites: effect on the fatigue bonding and mechanical performance.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to evaluate the shear bond and flexural strength fatigue behavior of yttrium-stabilized zirconia (4YSZ) repaired using different resin composites.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cylindric specimens of 4YSZ were obtained for the bond strength (Ø = 6 mm, 1.5 mm of thickness) and biaxial flexural strength (Ø = 15 mm, 1 mm of thickness) fatigue tests and divided into 3 groups according to the repair resin composite: EVO (nanohybrid), BULK (bulk-fill), and FLOW (flowable). The zirconia surface was air-abraded with alumina particles, a 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (10-MDP) primer was applied, and the resin composite was build-up over the zirconia. Fatigue shear bond strength and flexural fatigue strength tests were performed (n = 15). One-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests were carried out for both outcomes, besides scanning electron microscopy and finite element analysis.

RESULTS: The repair material affected the fatigue shear bond strength of zirconia ceramic. The BULK group (18.9 MPa) depicted higher bond strength values than FLOW (14.8 MPa) (p = 0.04), while EVO (18.0 MPa) showed similar results to both groups. No effect was observed for the mechanical behavior (p = 0.53). The stress distribution was similar for all groups.

CONCLUSION: The repair of yttrium-stabilized zirconia (4YSZ) ceramics with bulk-fill resin composites was the best option for high fatigue bond strength. However, the fatigue mechanical performance was similar regardless of the applied repair material.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The repair of yttrium-stabilized zirconia (4YSZ) monolithic restorations may be performed with nanohybrid and bulk-fill resin composites in order to promote longevity in the treatment.