Effect of laser etching on shear bond strength between polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and maxillofacial silicone after accelerated ageing – an in vitro study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2340/biid.v12.45066Keywords:
Laser, maxillofacial prostheses, silicone, PEEKAbstract
Introduction: Debonding of silicone prostheses from metal substructures is a frequently reported complication in prosthodontics. Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) has emerged as a promising alternative framework material owing to its favourable biomechanical properties; however, its limited bond strength to silicone remains a concern. The present study aimed to evaluate the shear bond strength between PEEK and maxillofacial silicone following laser etching of PEEK and subsequent accelerated ageing.
Materials and methods: According to ISO 10477:2020, 128 PEEK specimens were fabricated using Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) with 10 mm diameter and 3 mm thickness, and silicone specimens with 5 mm diameter and 2.5 mm height. The specimens were categorised into: Group 1–no surface treatment, Group 2–Al2O3 air abrasion, Group 3–98% sulphuric acid etching, and Group 4–laser irradiation. The silicone specimens were bonded to PEEK and kept at room temperature for 24 h for polymerisation, and were subjected to accelerated ageing for 252, 504, and 1,008 h. The shear bond strength was evaluated using universal testing machine at 1 mm/min crosshead speed. The comparison within groups was done using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple group comparison was done using Tukey’s HSD (Honestly Significant Difference) post-hoc analysis.
Results: Statistical analysis showed that surface pretreatment had a significant effect on bond strength (p < 0.05). Laser treatment and air abrasion produced significantly higher bond strengths compared to sulfuric acid etching, while no significant difference was found between laser treatment and air abrasion. Accelerated ageing time also had a significant influence, with bond strength values decreasing progressively from 252 h to 1,008 h across all pretreatment groups.
Conclusion: Surface pretreatment significantly influenced the adhesion of maxillofacial silicone to PEEK. Laser treatment and air abrasion provided superior and statistically comparable bond strengths, whereas sulfuric acid etching was less effective. Accelerated ageing reduced bond strength over time, highlighting the effect of ageing conditions on the durability of adhesion.
Downloads
References
Bulbulian AH. Repair of facial defects with prostheses using a latex compound. Am J Orthod Oral Surg. 1941;27(6):A323–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0096-6347(41)90531-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0096-6347(41)90531-8
Barreto D, Rangel R, Morales J, Gutierrez P. Epiplating in auricular defects as a facial reconstruction method: case series. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2019;77(1):.e1–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joms.2018.08.026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joms.2018.08.026
Gradinariu AI, Racles C, Stoica I, Stelea CG, Simionescu A-MA, Jehac AE, et al. Silicones for maxillofacial prostheses and their modifications in service. Materials (Basel). 2024;17(13):3297. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17133297 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17133297
Das A, Awasthi P, Jain V, Banerjee SS. 3D printing of maxillofacial prostheses materials: challenges and opportunities. Bioprinting. 2023;32:e00282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bprint.2023.e00282 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bprint.2023.e00282
Raghuvanshi S, Chand P, Singh SV, Aggarwal H, Arya D. Nonimplant, nonadhesive overlay approach to retain a partial auricular prosthesis. J Prosthodont. 2019;28(2): e826-e829. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopr.12981 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jopr.12981
Kuttuva Balasubramanian Sivaprakash Babu AD, Singaravel Chidambara Nathan A, Balasubramanium MK. Effect of laser surface treatment on shear bond strength between polyetheretherketone and heat-activated polymethylmethacrylate resin. J Prosthodont. 2024;33(5):490–6. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopr.13744 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jopr.13744
Degirmenci K, Saridag S. Effect of different surface treatments on the shear bond strength of luting cements used with implant-supported prostheses: an in vitro study. J Adv Prosthodont. 2020;12(2):75–82. https://doi.org/10.4047/jap.2020.12.2.75 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4047/jap.2020.12.2.75
International Organization for Standardization. ISO 10477;2020. Dentistry – polymer-based crown and veneering materials. Geneva: ISO; 2020
Çulhaoğlu AK, Özkır SE, Şahin V, Yılmaz B, Kılıçarslan MA. Effect of various treatment modalities on surface characteristics and shear bond strengths of Polyetheretherketone based core materials. J Prosthodont. 2020;29:136–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopr.12702 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jopr.12702
Chaijareenont P, Prakhamsai S, Silthampitag P, Takahashi H, Arksornnukit M. Effects of different sulfuric acid etching concentrations on PEEK surface bonding to resin composite. Dent Mater J. 2018;37(3):385–92. https://doi.org/10.4012/dmj.2017-141 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4012/dmj.2017-141
Dakshinamoorthy A, Singaravel Chidambaranathan A, Balasubramanium M. Evaluation of shear bond strength between maxillofacial silicone and fibre-reinforced composite resin after various surface treatments. J Prosthet Dent. 2018;119(6):e1–1029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prosdent.2018.04.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prosdent.2018.04.003
Rhea A, Ahila SC, Kumar B. Evaluation of effect of laser etching on shear bond strength between maxillofacial silicone and acrylic resin subjected to accelerated ageing process. Indian J Dent Res. 2017;28(5):498. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijdr.ijdr_112_14 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/ijdr.IJDR_112_14
Zhou L, Qian Y, Gan K, Liu H, Liu X, Niu D. Effect of different surface treatments and thermocycling on shear bond strength to polyetheretherketone. High Perform Polym. 2017;29(1):87–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2014.03.011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0954008316628966
Korkmaz FM, Aycan S. Effect of fibre laser irradiation on the shear bond strength between acrylic resin and titanium. Scanning. 2019;2019:5452919 https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/5452919 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/5452919
Kurunmäki H, Kantola R, Hatamleh MM, Watts DC, Vallittu PK. A fibre-reinforced composite prostheses restoring a lateral midfacial defect. A clinical report. J Prosthet Dent. 2008;100:348–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-3913(08)60235-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3913(08)60235-8
Hatamleh MM, Watts DC. Bonding of maxillofacial silicone elastomers to an acrylic substrate. Dent Mater. 2010;26(4):387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2010.01.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2010.01.001
Haddad MF, Goiato MC, dos Santos DM, Crepaldi NdM, Pesqueira AA, Bannwart LC. Bond strength between acrylic resin and maxillofacial silicone. J Appl Oral Sci. 2012;20(6):649–54. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1678-77572012000600010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-77572012000600010
Farooqui R, Aras MA, Chitre V, Rajagopal P. An in vitro study to compare the influence of two different primers on the peel bond strength between a maxillofacial silicone material and an acrylic resin material versus a composite resin material. J Indian Prosthodont Soc. 2021;21(3):287–94. https://doi.org/10.4103/jips.jips_80_21 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jips.jips_80_21
Shetty US, Guttal SS. Evaluation of bonding efficiency between facial silicone and acrylic resin using different bonding agents and surface alterations. J Adv Prosthodont. 2012;4(3):121–6. https://doi.org/10.4047/jap.2012.4.3.121 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4047/jap.2012.4.3.121
Caglar I, Ates SM. Yesil Duymus Z. An In vitro evaluation of the effect of various adhesives and surface treatments on bond strength of resin cement to polyetheretherketone. J Prosthodont. 2019;28(1):e342–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopr.12791 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jopr.12791
Schmidlin PR, Stawarczyk B, Wieland M, Attin T, Hämmerle CHF, Fischer J. Effect of different surface pre-treatments and luting materials on shear bond strength to PEEK. Dent Mater. 2010;26(6):553–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2010.02.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2010.02.003
Cevik P, Yildirim AZ, Demir Sevinc EH, Gonder A, Kiat-Amnuay S. Using peek asframework material for maxillofacial silicone prostheses: an in vitro study. Polymers (Basel). 2023;15(12): 2694. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15122694 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15122694
Wilson A, Jones I, Salamat-Zadeh F, Watts JF. Laser surface modification of poly (etheretherketone) to enhance surface free energy, wettability and adhesion. Int J Adhes. 2015;62:69–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijadhadh.2015.06.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijadhadh.2015.06.005
Yilmaz A, Akyil M¸ S, Hologlu B. The effect of metal primer application and Nd:YAG laser irradiation on the shear-bond strength between polymethyl methacrylate and cobalt-chromium alloy. Photomed Laser Surg. 2011;29:39–45. https://doi.org/10.1089/pho.2009.2721 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/pho.2009.2721
Ge Y, Zhao T, Fan S, Liu P, Yin H, Zhao C, et al. Effects of surface treatments on the adhesion between PEEK and silicone polymer. J Prosthet Dent. 2025;134(3):866.e1–e11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prosdent.2025.05.022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prosdent.2025.05.022
Tasopoulos T, Chatziemmanouil D, Kouveliotis G, Karaiskou G, Wang J, Zoidis P. PEEK maxillary obturator prostheses fabrication using intraoral scanning, 3D printing, and CAD/CAM. Int J Prosthodont. 2020;33:333–40. https://doi.org/10.11607/ijp.6575 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11607/ijp.6575
Stawarczyk B, Jordan P, Schmidlin PR, Roos M, Eichberger M, Gernet W, et al. PEEK surface treatment effects on tensile bond strength to veneering resins. J Prosthet Dent. 2014;112;1278–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prosdent.2014.05.014 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prosdent.2014.05.014
Luo C, Liu Y, Peng B, Chen M, Liu Z, Li Z, et al. PEEK for oral applications: recent advances in mechanical and adhesive properties. Polymers (Basel). 2023;15:386. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15020386 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15020386
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ganesh RamKumar Rajapandi, Ahila Singaravel Chidambaranathan, MuthuKumar Balasubramanium
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Biomaterial Investigations in Dentistry is a Diamond Open Access peer-reviewed journal, publishing research in oral biomaterials science. The publishing of articles is free for authors, thanks to the support of Acta Odontologica Scandinavica Society (AOSS), a not-for-profit society. 
