Effect of combined application of self-etching primer and hydrofluoric acid on the microtensile bond strength between resin cement and polymer-infiltrated ceramic network material

Background: To evaluate the effect of hydrofluoric acid (HF), self-etching primer (Monobond Etch & Prime; MEP), and combined application of these protocols (HFMEP) on microtensile bond strength (µTBS) between polymer-infiltrated ceramic network material and resin cement.Methods: Specimens were divided into four groups based on the surface treatment applied: Control (C), HF, MEP, and HFMEP. Resin-ceramic beams were randomly divided into 2 subgroups according to aging condition: 1) 24 h water storage and 2) 10.000 thermocycling (TC). μTBS was measured using a universal testing device. The surface roughness (Ra) of additional samples (n=20) for each treatment group was measured using a profilometer. One sample per group was subjected to scanning electron microscopy. Data were analyzed by one- and two-way ANOVA, Tukey's HSD, and independent t-tests (α=.05).Results: C and HF groups exhibited the lowest and highest Ra values, respectively (p.05), but MEP treatment resulted in significantly higher μTBS values than in the HF-etched group after TC (p