Silane coupling treatment is a surface treatment technique used in dental restorations to improve the bond strength between resin-based composite (RBC) restorations and the repaired surface. Silane coupling agents are organic silanes that form covalent bonds with both the ceramic and the resin cement, enhancing the wettability and adhesion (Fabianelli et al., 2010). The application of silane coupling treatment, either with or without prior surface sandblasting, has been shown to improve the bond strength of repaired indirect resin composites to a conventional direct resin composite (Visuttiwattanakorn et al., 2017). Additionally, silane coupling treatment has been found to increase the bond strength between photo-cured bulk-fill flowable composite resin and silver-palladium-copper-gold alloy using self-adhesive resin cement (Kawashima et al., 2019).

Surface roughness of resin composites is an important parameter for clinical performance, affecting wear resistance, plaque accumulation, gingival inflammation, material discoloration, and surface gloss (Senawongse & Pongprueksa, 2007). Therefore, it is crucial to consider the effects of surface treatments, such as silane coupling, on the surface roughness of RBC restorations.

In terms of clinical significance, the repair of fractured polymer-infiltrated ceramic-network (PICN) restorations with composite resin has been successful when the surface is treated with hydrofluoric acid or sandblasting followed by the individual use of silane (Bello et al., 2018). This suggests that silane coupling treatment plays a crucial role in the successful repair of PICN restorations.

Furthermore, the use of silane coupling agents has been shown to increase the bond strength of aged composite restorations treated with air abrasion, which is important for the efficient repair of composite restorations (Mishra et al., 2023). Computational analysis has also indicated the potential benefits of silane coupling treatments on the adhesion of CAD/CAM composite resin in the presence or absence of acid (Tsukagoshi et al., 2020).

It is worth noting that there are alternative approaches to repairing resin composite restorations without silane coupling pretreatment, although the use of silane coupling treatments has been shown to increase bond strength in various scenarios (Uno et al., 2022). Silane coupling treatments have also been effective in increasing bond strength when repairing resin composite chip fractures or ceramic restorations with resin composite (Akimoto et al., 2011).

In conclusion, silane coupling treatment has been shown to improve the clinical performance of direct repaired RBC restorations by enhancing bond strength and adhesion. It is an effective surface treatment technique that can be used in conjunction with other methods, such as sandblasting or acid etching, to optimize the repair process. The use of silane coupling agents should be considered in dental restorations to ensure long-lasting and durable outcomes.

REFERENCES

Akimoto, N., Sakamoto, T., Kubota, Y., Kondo, Y., & Momoi, Y. (2011). A novel composite-to-composite adhesive bond mechanism. Dental Materials Journal, 30(4), 523-527. https://doi.org/10.4012/dmj.2011-011 Bello, Y., Domênico, M., Magro, L., Lise, M., & Corazza, P. (2018). Bond strength between composite repair and polymer‐infiltrated ceramic‐network material: effect of different surface treatments. Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, 31(3), 275-279. https://doi.org/10.1111/jerd.12445 Fabianelli, A., Pollington, S., Papacchini, F., Goracci, C., Cantoro, A., Ferrari, M., … & Noort, R. (2010). The effect of different surface treatments on bond strength between leucite reinforced feldspathic ceramic and composite resin. Journal of Dentistry, 38(1), 39-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2009.08.010 Kawashima, S., Nagai, Y., & Shinkai, K. (2019). Effect of silane coupling treatment and airborne-particle abrasion on shear bond strength between photo-cured bulk-fill flowable composite resin and silverpalladium-copper-gold alloy using self-adhesive resin cement. Dental Materials Journal, 38(3), 418-423. https://doi.org/10.4012/dmj.2018-121 Mishra, P., Singh, S., Sharma, A., Jain, S., & Kishnani, S. (2023). Comparative evaluation of effect of different surface pretreatments on bond strengths of thermocycled composite and amalgam rerestored with composite resin: an in vitro study. International Journal of Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry, 12(3), 125-132. https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10019-1380 Senawongse, P. and Pongprueksa, P. (2007). Surface roughness of nanofill and nanohybrid resin composites after polishing and brushing. Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, 19(5), 265-273. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1708-8240.2007.00116.x Tsukagoshi, K., Hirota, M., Nomoto, R., & Hayakawa, T. (2020). Bond strength and computational analysis for silane coupling treatments on the adhesion of resin block for cad/cam crowns. Dental Materials Journal, 39(5), 844-854. https://doi.org/10.4012/dmj.2019-139 Uno, M., Kusakabe, S., Ishigami, H., & Doi, Y. (2022). Effect of surface treatment on bond strength between zirconia and composite resin core material. Asian Pacific Journal of Dentistry, 22(1), 5-11. https://doi.org/10.47416/apjod.22-0288 Visuttiwattanakorn, P., Suputtamongkol, K., Angkoonsit, D., Kaewthong, S., & Charoonanan, P. (2017). Microtensile bond strength of repaired indirect resin composite. The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics, 9(1), 38. https://doi.org/10.4047/jap.2017.9.1.38