Surface conditioning prior to cementing is indicated to achieve a strong bond between metal-free ceramic restorations and resin cements. The aim of this study is to describe and compare the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the surfaces of Feldspathic ceramic and Lithium disilicate glass ceramic before and after being treated with two acid procedures. For this, 8 blocks of Feldspathic ceramic (A) and 8 of Ceramic lithium disilicate (B) were used. They were subdivided into two groups of 4 blocks (A1 and A2) and (B1 and B2). Groups A1 and B1 were treated with 9% Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) and the A2 and B2 groups, with 9% Hydrofluoric Acid followed by 35% Phosphoric Acid. Subsequently, they were observed using SEM (1,000 ×) and the images processed with the program Matlab R2012a, which measures the contrast. The statistics used were ANOVA test and the unpaired t test.
Results
9% Hydrofluoric Acid creates irregularities in both types of ceramics. When applying HF followed by Phosphoric Acid on Feldspathic ceramics, no differences in contrast were found, compared to using only HF. With ceramic lithium disilicate using both acids, there are fewer irregularities with respect to those treated with a single acid.
Conclusion
9% Hydrofluoric Acid creates micro-retentions in both ceramics. 9% HF followed by 35% Phosphoric Acid appears to significantly modify the Lithium disilicate glass ceramic contrast values. On the other hand, the Feldspathic ceramic showed no significant differences with both treatments.