Effect of Surface Treatment on Tensile Bond of 3D Printed Polymeric Implant Provisional Crowns to Titanium Base Abutment

The present study investigated the maximum load and tensile bond strength (TS) of three dimensionally printed (3DP) polymeric implant provisional crowns (PCs) to titanium base abutment. The study involved fabricating 90 implant analogs and prosthetic titanium bases, with two groups undergoing surface modifications. A PC design resembling a maxillary central incisor was created, resulting in 90 3DP PCs assigned to six groups. Treatment methods included airborne APA, phosphoric acid application, or no surface treatment, followed by cleaning processes. Retention testing using a universal testing machine measured the maximum force applied during vertical pull-out tests. Group-5 demonstrated the highest mean load (435.67 N), followed by Group-4 (397.04 N) and Group-2 (305.93 N). Group-3 had the lowest mean load (179.47 N). Abutments APA showed significantly higher mean maximum load (372.09 N) compared to untreated abutments (241.21 N). Similarly, PCs subjected to APA exhibited a higher mean maximum load (317.63 N) than acid-etched PCs (370.80 N) and untreated PCs (231.52 N). In comparison to acid etching and no surface treatment, APA significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of provisional crowns, resulting in the highest maximum load and tensile strength values.