REVIEW OF MODERN METHODS OF PRELIMINARY SURFACE TREATMENT OF ZIRCONIUM DIOXIDE TO INCREASE ADHESION TO FIXING CEMENTS

Abstract

With the advent and introduction of composite materials into dental practice at the end of the 20th century, patients' requirements for the aesthetics of prostheses have increased dramatically. At about the same time, a new material appeared – zirconium dioxide, which has good aesthetic qualities, excellent strength characteristics, chemical stability and bio-inertia. However, for all its advantages, it also has a number of disadvantages, one of which is poor adhesion to fixing cements. To date, many methods have been proposed to improve the adhesion of prostheses made of zirconium dioxide, each of which has its own strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of this review is to analyze, compare and systematize existing methods and materials proposed to improve the adhesion of zirconium dioxide to fixing cements, as well as their evaluation to study current trends in surface conditioning methods with predictable results. Materials and methods. This study was conducted using the PubMed search engine. 42 articles were selected for the time period from 2016 to 2022. Search keywords: zirconia, zirconia adhesion, bond strength test. The articles used were selected according to the following criteria: publications in English, in vitro studies, studies with shear/tensile strength tests, systematic reviews. Only articles related to dentistry were considered. Conclusions. The selected literature describes many methods that enhance the adhesion of zirconium to fixing cements. However, their comparison and evaluation are difficult due to the authors' use of various tests and thermal cycling time. This is confirmed by our comparative evaluation of these methods according to criteria independent of each other. Currently, there is no generally accepted and standardized protocol for adhesive preparation of the surface of structures made of zirconium dioxide, which gives time-stable results. Additional research is needed.