Retention of Metal Crowns to Smooth or Rough-Surfaced All-Cast Cores

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the retention of metal crowns cemented over prepared cores presenting different surface textures. Methods: Twenty standardized all-cores were divided into two groups: Group 1 – ten metal crowns were cemented over cores prepared with diamond burs (rough surface). Group 2 – ten metal crowns were cemented over cores prepared with multi-blade burs (smooth surface). All crowns were cemented with zinc phosphate cement and submitted to tensile testing (Universal testing machine). The statistical analysis was performed using Student's t test (P>0.05). Results: The mean values were 44.05 kgf and 10.93 Kgf for groups 1 and 2, respectively. The difference between groups 1 and 2 was statistically significant (P>0.001). Conclusion: It can be concluded that all-cast cores presenting rough surfaces provide higher retention in comparison to all-cores presenting smooth surfaces, when metallic crowns are cemented with zinc phosphate cement.