Shear bond strengths of veneering porcelain to cast, machined and laser-sintered titanium.

The aim of this study was to compare the shear bond strengths (SBS) of cast, machined, and laser-sintered titanium to dental porcelain. Two kinds of dental porcelains (Titankeramik and Triceram) were applied on cast (Tritan), machined (DC-Titan), and laser-sintered (EOSINT) titanium specimens (n=10). SBS test was conducted, and fracture surface analysis was also performed to determine the failure modes. Two-way ANOVA, Student's t-test, and post hoc test were used to analyze the data (p<0.05). Among the titanium specimens, the SBS values of laser-sintered titanium specimens were significantly higher than the machined and cast titanium specimens (p<0.01). Comparison of Triceram and Titankeramik veneering porcelains showed no statistically significant differences in SBS when they were applied on laser-sintered and cast titanium specimens (p>0.05). Specimens in all the test groups exhibited adhesive or combined failure, with the Titankeramik-machined titanium group exhibiting the highest adhesive failure rate (40%). Results showed that porcelain-titanium bond strengths could be improved by using the new laser sintering technique to produce titanium for prosthodontic applications.