RESUMO
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Selective laser melting (SLM) is a new technique for fabricating dental restorations, but the metal-ceramic bond strength of the restorations after multiple firings must be considered because adequate bond strength is a clinical requirement for long-term performance. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of repeated firing on the metal-ceramic bond strength of an SLM Co-Cr alloy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-six SLM-fabricated (Group SLM) and conventional lost wax cast (Group Cast) Co-Cr metal bars were prepared. Eighteen bars from each group were molded into dimensions of 25×3×0.5 mm, following International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 9693:2012. In the center of each bar, a 1.1-mm thickness of porcelain was fused onto an 8×3-mm rectangular area. In each group, specimens were divided into 3 subgroups based on the number of firing cycles (3, 5, 7) for the veneering process. Metal-ceramic bond strength, fracture mode analysis, and area fraction of adherence porcelain (AFAP) of each subgroup was evaluated with a 3-point bend test and by measuring the Si content of specimens with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results were statistically analyzed first with the Shapiro-Wilk test, where a P value of .364 was considered normally distributed, and then with the Student t test to determine significant differences (α=.05). RESULTS: Student t test results showed no statistical differences between the metal-ceramic bond strength of SLM and that of conventionally cast groups after firing 3, 5, and 7 times (P>.05). However, after SEM/EDS analyses, the SLM group showed significantly more porcelain adherence than that of the control group (P<.05) after 5 or 7 firings. CONCLUSIONS: The SLM group showed superior metal-ceramic bond strength that exceeded ISO 9691:1999 (E) requirements at all firing periods. Also, the bond showed better behavior in terms of AFAP than the conventional cast group, especially after 5 or 7 firings.
