Journal of Dental Medicine

Statement of Problem: In a previous study it was reported that a durable resin-ceramic tensile bond could be obtained by an appropriate silane application without the need for HF acid etching the ceramic surface. Evaluation of the appropriate application of silane by other test methods seems to be necessary.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the interfacial fracture toughness of smooth and roughened ceramic surfaces bonded with a luting resin.

Materials and Methods: Ceramic discs of 10 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness were prepared. Four different surface preparations (n=10) were carried out consisting of (1) ceramic surface polished to a 1µm finish, (2) gritblasted with 50µm alumina, (3) etched with 10% HF for 2 min, and (4) gritblasted and etched. The ceramic discs were then embedded in PMMA resin. For the adhesive area, the discs were masked with Teflon tapes. A circular hole with diameter of 3 mm and chevron-shaped with a 90° angle was punched into a piece of Teflon tape. The exposed ceramic surfaces were treated by an optimised silane treatment followed by an unfilled resin and then a luting resin cylinder of 4mm in diameter and 11 mm in length was built. Specimens were stored in two different storage

conditions: (A): Distilled water at 37°C for 24 hours and (B): Distilled water at 37°C for 30 days. The interfacial fracture toughness (GIC) was measured at a cross-head speed of 1 mm/min. The mode of failure was examined under a stereo-zoom microscope and fracture surfaces were examined under Scanning Electron Microscope.

Results: The mean interfacial fracture toughness values were Group A: 1) 317.1±114.8, 2) 304.5±109.2, 3) 364.5±169.8, and 4) 379.4±127.8 J/m2±SD. Group B: 1) 255.6±134.4, 2) 648.0±185.1, 3) 629.3±182.6 and 4) 639.9 ±489.0 J/m2±SD. One way Analysis of Variance showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the mean interfacial fracture toughness for groups A1-A4 (P>0.05). However, the mean interfacial fracture toughness for group B1 was significantly different from that for groups B2, B3 and B4 (P<0.05). Independent-ٍٍٍSamples T-Test results showed that there was a significant increase in the GIC mean value for groups B2 and B3 after 30 days water storage (P<0.05). The modes of failure were predominantly interfacial or cohesive within the resin. Conclusions: The fracture toughness test method used in this study would be appropriate for analysis of the adhesive zone of resin-ceramic systems. From the results, it can be concluded that micro-mechanical retention by gritblasting the ceramic surfaces could be sufficient with no need for HF acid etching the ceramic surfaces when an appropriate silane application procedure is used.

Statement of Problem: Ceramic restorations are popular because they can provide the most natural replacement for teeth. However, the brittleness of ceramics is a primary disadvantage. There are various methods for strengthening ceramics such as metal framework, ceramic cores, and surface strengthening mechanisms through glazing, work hardening and ion exchange.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of polish on flexural strength of feldspathic porcelain and to compare it with overglaze and autoglaze.

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, one brand of feldspathic porcelain (colorlogic, Ceramco) was used and forty bars (25×6×3 mm) were prepared according to ISO 6872 and ADA No. 69. The specimens were randomly divided into four groups: overglazed, auto glazed, fine polish and coarse polish (clinic polish). Flexural strength of each specimen was determined by three point bending test (Universal Testing Machine, Zwick 1494, Germany). Collected data was analyzed by ANOVA and post-hoc test with P<0.05 as the limit of significance.

Results: A significant difference was observed among the studied groups (P<0.0001). According to post-hoc test, flexural strength in overglaze and fine polish group were significantly stronger than clinic polish and autoglaze group (P<0.001). Although the mean value for overglazed group was higher than fine polish group, this was not statistically significant (P=0.9). Also no statistical difference was seen between autoglazed and coarse polish group (P=0.2).

Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, flexural strength achieved by fine polish (used in this study) can compete with overglazing the feldespathic porcelains. It also can be concluded that a final finishing procedure that involves fine polishing may be preferred to simple staining followed by self-glazing.

Background and Aims: Reliable bonding between tooth substrate and zirconia-based ceramic restorations is always of great importance. The laser might be useful for treatment of ceramic surfaces. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of laser irradiation on the shear bond strength of zirconia ceramic surface to dentin.

Materials and Methods: In this experimental in vitro study, 40 Cercon zirconia ceramic blocks were fabricated. The surface treatment was performed using sandblasting with 50-micrometer Al2O3, CO₂ laser, or Nd:YAG laser in each test groups. After that, the specimens were cemented to human dentin with resin cement. The shear bond strength of ceramics to dentin was determined and failure mode of each specimen was analyzed by stereo-microscope and SEM investigations. The data were statistically analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and Tukey multiple comparisons. The surface morphology of one specimen from each group was investigated under SEM.

Results: The mean shear bond strength of zirconia ceramic to dentin was 7.79±3.03, 9.85±4.69, 14.92±4.48 MPa for CO₂ irradiated, Nd:YAG irradiated, and sandblasted specimens, respectively. Significant differences were noted between CO₂ (P=0.001) and Nd:YAG laser (P=0.017) irradiated specimens with sandblasted specimens. No significant differences were observed between two laser methods (P=0.47). The mode of bond failure was predominantly adhesive in test groups (CO₂ irradiated specimens: 75%, Nd:YAG irradiated: 66.7%, and sandblasting: 41.7%).

Conclusion: Under the limitations of the present study, surface treatment of zirconia ceramics using CO₂ and Nd:YAG lasers was not able to produce adequate bond strength with dentin surfaces in comparison to sandblasting technique. Therefore, the use of lasers with the mentioned parameters may not be recommended for the surface treatment of Cercon ceramics.

Background and Aims: The purpose of this in vitro study was to assess the effect of two different surface treatments on the contrast ratio of IPS e.max press ceramic submitted to accelerated aging.

Materials and Methods: Ten ceramic (IPS e.max Press) disks (10-mm diameter and 1.5-mm thick) were fabricated according to the manufacturer's recommendations. The samples were randomly divided into 2 groups (n=5): polishing and glazing. Contrast ratio ware obtained with a spectrophotometer before and after accelerated aging. The contrast ratio (CR=Yb/Yw), was defined as the ratio of illuminance (Y) of the test material when it is placed on the black background (Yb) to the illuminance of the same material when it is placed over a white background (Yw), was determined. The data were statistically analyzed by two-way analysis of variance (P<0.05).

Results: All specimens of IPS e.max press ceramic showed significant increase in CR after 300-hour accelerated aging time (P=0.005). Polished samples showed significantly higher opacity compared with that of the glazed ones (P=0.018).

Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, it may be concluded that the glazed specimens showed higher stability in their translucency than the polished specimens.

Background and Aims: The marginal integrity of fixed restorations always is a major matter of concern for dental clinicians. Any cause of distortion, including veneering processes, in the marginal integrity is supposed to be detrimental for long-term success of fixed dental prostheses. The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the marginal adaptation of two different full ceramic restoration systems (Zirkouzahu&Cercon) and possible changes in marginal integrity following the multiple veneering process.

Materials and Methods: Twelve all-ceramic crowns in the form of coping were fabricated on a pre-made standard metal die with finish line of shoulder preparation from two commercial systems: Cercon® and Zirkonzahn®. The specimens were not cemented. The Crown/Die discrepancy were measured by means of a precise stereo microscope (accuracy±0.1 μm), at various points (n=12) selected along circumferential margin of the restorations. Same procedure was accomplished after applying the veneering porcelain. The mean gap dimensions were calculated and data were analyzed by multivariate (b) test.

Results: Mean marginal gap dimensions before and after veneering porcelain firing cycles, for Cercon® were (59.67±13.46 µm) and (63.75±14.16 µm) and for Zirkonzahn® were (65.81±24.37 µm) and (64.74±21.94 µm), respectively. Hotelling trace Multivariate(b) test method showed that the rate of mismatching marginal integrity in two groups (Cercon® and Zirkonzahn®) had no significant difference before and after porcelain firing (P>0.05).

Conclusion: Within the limitation of this study, the marginal integrity of both systems were seems to be within the clinically acceptable standard dimension, i.e. 120μm.The marginal gap of both all-ceramic systems were not affected by veneering porcelain firing cycles.