The aim of this study was to evaluate the shear bond strength of orthodontic tubes adhered to ceramics with the Transbond™ XT bonding resin (3M, Maplewood, MN, USA) while varying the surface treatment. Then, the adhesive remaining index (ARI) was verified, and the representative fracture patterns were evaluated via scanning electron microscopy. Forty-eight zirconia blocks were divided into three groups, varying the number of layers of the 10-methacryloyloxy-decyl dihydrogen phosphate (MDP) primer: one, two, or three applications. In addition, 16 lithium disilicate IPS E.max ceramic disks (Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein) were conditioned with 10% hydrofluoric acid for 20 s and underwent a single-layer primer application regimen. The four groups were further stratified to undergo bond testing after either 24 h (control) or 5000 cycles in a thermocycling machine. A shear bond strength test was performed (0.5 mm/min), and the MPa values obtained were submitted to a two-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test. There was no statistical difference among the control group ceramics that received the varying surface treatments. After thermocycling, it was verified that both the E.max disks and the zirconia ceramics with three primer applications obtained the highest bond strength values. In the 24 h groups, a total displacement of the resin from the orthodontic tubes was observed (ARI of 1). After thermocycling, the highest prevalence of an ARI of 5 (adhesive failure) was observed among the zirconia ceramics with single-coat primer application, followed by those with triple-coat primer application (mixed failure). Three applications of the MDP-containing ceramic primer achieved the best result in the present study. Zirconia surface should be treated with three coats of MDP primer to achieve a level of bond strength similar to silica-rich phase ceramic.
Keywords: ceramics; dental acid etching; dental bonding; shear strength.