Bond Strength of Laser-Treated Titanium Alloy with Glass Based Ceramic/Porcelain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objective: The study systematically reviewed the bonding strength of laser-treated titanium (Ti) alloy with porcelain compared to other conditioning methods. Methods: A search was performed using Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed for PICO focused question, “Does the laser treatment (I) of titanium surface enhances the bonding strength (O) between a titanium substrate and porce- lain/composite (P) as compared to other surface treatments (C)?” The standard mean difference (SMD) was calculated with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) through the use of meta-analyses. Results: Of the 8 included studies, five studies used the shear bond strength (SBS) test, one study used tensile bond strength (TBS) analysis, and two utilized the flexural bond strength (FBS) test. Sandblasting showed SBS values ranging between 6.02 ±0.91 MPa and 7.00±2.45 MPa; while lased samples demonstrated scores of 6.16 ±0.37 MPa and 21.22±3.41 MPa. A TBS score of 52.62 MPa for the samples treated with air abrasion (control group) and 24.02 MPa for the laser- welded samples was observed. The meta-analysis revealed improvement in SBS (p = 0.04) scores for laser treatment, compared to the controls. Conclusion: The application of laser treatment of Ti alloy with ceramic is a promising alternative to improve the bonding strength of acrylic resin to titanium.