OBJECTIVE: To study microstructure, friction and wear behaviors of silicon-lithium spray coating on the surface of zirconia ceramics and to preliminarily evaluate its esthetic so as to provide support and guidance for the clinical application. METHODS: Zirconia ceramic specimens were randomly divided into three groups: coating group (two subgroups), polishing group (two subgroups), and glazing group (four subgroups), with 10 samples in each subgroup. The two subgroups of coating group were the zirconia ceramics with the untreated and preliminary polishing surfaces sprayed with silicon-lithium coating, respectively. The two subgroups of polishing group were preliminary polishing and fine polishing of zirconia ceramics, respectively. The four subgroups of glazing group were preliminarily polished zirconia ceramics glazed with Biomic and Stain/Glaze products, respectively; and untreated zirconia ceramics glazed with Biomic and Stain/Glaze products, respectively. The above 8 subgroups of zirconia ceramic specimens were used as friction pairs with 80 steatite ceramics for 50 000 chewing cycles under 50 N vertical load and artificial saliva lubrication using chewing simulation. Scanning electron microscope was used to observe the microstructure of the surface and section of the coating group, and the thickness of the coating and glazing were measured. The linear roughness of the coating and polishing groups was mea-sured using a laser confocal scanning microscope. Vickers hardness was measured using a microhardness tester and the esthetic of zirconia ceramic full crown sprayed with silicon-lithium coating was preliminarily evaluated. White light interferometer was used to measure the width, the maximum depth and the volume of the wear scars of each group, and the wear depth of steatite ceramics and wear rate of zirconia ceramic specimens were calculated. Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test and Dunn's multiple comparisons test were used to analyze the wear depth of each group (α=0.05). RESULTS: The microstructures of the silica-lithium spray coatings on the untreated and preliminarily polished zirconia ceramic surfaces showed the protruding defects, and the line roughness of coating group was larger than that of the polishing group. The median thickness of the silica-lithium spray coating on the preliminarily polished zirconia ceramic was 13.0 μm (interquartile range, IQR: 11.6, 17.9), while that of the silica-lithium spray coating on the untreated zirconia ceramic was 4.4 μm (IQR: 4.1, 4.7). The Vickers hardness and wear rate of the coating group were between the polishing group and the glazing group. The wear depths of the wear scars of steatite ceramics were the glazing group, coating group, and polishing group in descending order, and there was statistically significant difference between glazing and polishing groups (P < 0.05). With the increase of polishing procedure, the wear depth of steatite ceramics decreased in each subgroups. The orders of maximum depth and volume of wear scars of zirconia ceramic were the glazing group, coating group, and polishing group in descending order, and there was statistically significant difference in the maximum depth of wear scars between glazing and polishing groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The silica-lithium spray coating on the zirconia ceramic, can be used as a new method for zirconia ceramic surface treatment, because it can increase the esthetic of zirconia ceramics compared with polishing and reduce the wear of steatite ceramics compared with glazing.
Humans ; Silicon ; Materials Testing ; Friction ; Lithium ; Cicatrix ; Surface Properties ; Silicon Dioxide ; Zirconium/chemistry* ; Ceramics ; Dental Porcelain

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to remove occlusal veneers of varied thicknesses and compositions by Er:Yag laser in vitro and analyze the interfacial microstructure between veneers and tooth that irradiated by laser, by which experimental evidence could be provided to support the non-invasive removal of occlusal veneerby laser. METHODS: Fresh mandibular premolars extracted for orthodontic requirements were collected for tooth preparation. Three kinds of ceramic materials (Vita Suprinity, Vita Mark Ⅱ, and Upcera Hyramic) were selected to fabricate occlusal veneer with different thicknesses (1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mm). One week later, Er:Yag laser (2.5 W and 3.5 W) was used to irradiate and remove the occlusal veneer and recorded the timespan. After the removal operation, the micro-morphologies of samples were examined by scanning electron microscope. RESULTS: Upcera Hyramic veneer failed to be removed (>20 min); the operation span at 2.5 W, Vita Suprinity (96.0 s±16.0 s) was longer than Vita MarkⅡ(84.5 s±19.5 s) in the 1.0 mm group (P<0.05), and Vita Suprinity (246.5 s±13.5 s) was longer than Vita MarkⅡ(170.0 s±14.0 s) in the 1.5 mm group (P<0.05). At 3.5 W, Vita Suprinity (381.0 s±24.0 s) was longer than Vita MarkⅡ(341.5 s±26.5 s) in the 2.0 mm group. CONCLUSIONS Increasing laser power could shorten the operation span and facilitate the removal of occlusal veneers with the same thickness and composition. The occlusal veneer was sustained when insufficient laser power was applied. With the same laser power and ceramic thickness, laser penetration could interfere with the integral of the ceramic structure when the laser interacted with the bonding layer. With the same ceramic composition and laser power, the operation span and laser power increased with the thickness of the occlusal veneer. However, the laser was incapable of removing occlusal resin veneer directly.
Lasers, Solid-State ; Materials Testing ; Dental Porcelain/chemistry* ; Ceramics/chemistry* ; Bicuspid ; Dental Veneers

Zirconia is widely used in the field of dentistry because of its superior mechanical and esthetic characteristics. However, the tetragonal zirconia polycrystal restorations commonly used in clinics will degrade at low temperatures in the oral environment, resulting in increased surface roughness, microcracks, and decreased mechanical properties. Low-temperature degradation of zirconia can be affected by grain size, stress, stabilizer content and type, surface treatment, sintering conditions, and other factors. Through a literature review and analysis, this review summarizes the research progress on the low-temperature degradation of zirconia in prosthetic dentistry to provide references for the improvement of zirconia in clinical and research applications.
Ceramics ; Dental Materials ; Esthetics, Dental ; Materials Testing ; Prosthodontics ; Surface Properties ; Temperature ; Yttrium/chemistry* ; Zirconium

Objective: To evaluate the effects of pre-sintering heating rate and powder size on dental recycled zirconia. Methods: Recycled zirconia powders were sieved to obtain the large (50 μm With the same particle size, the recycled zirconia pre-sintered at different heating rates showed no significant differences in the relative densities, and the open porosities (P>0.05). When the pre-sintering heating rates were 2 ℃/min, 5 ℃/min, and 8 ℃/min, the flexural strengths of the large-particle recycled zirconia were (421.2±54.7), (444.2±70.1) and (427.5±68.4) MPa, the flexural strengths of the small-particle recycled zirconia were (750.1±74.1), (777.2±95.5) and (746.7±73.0) MPa, respectively. The flexural strength of commercial zirconia was (988.4±129.8) MPa. The flexural strengths of the recycled zirconia were significantly lower than that of the commercial zirconia (P<0.05). At the same pre-sintering heating rate, the flexural strengths of the small-particle recycled zirconia were significantly higher than that of the large-particle recycled zirconia (P<0.05). Conclusions: Compared with the large particles, small-particle recycled zirconia powders can effectively improve the properties of recycled zirconia, while the pre-sintering heating rate has no effect on the properties of the recycled zirconia.
Ceramics ; Dental Materials/chemistry* ; Heating ; Materials Testing ; Powders ; Surface Properties ; Yttrium ; Zirconium

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the types and thicknesses of glass ceramic plates on light transmittance and compare the degrees of conversion (DC) of resin cement under the ceramic materials. Three ceramic plates with thicknesses of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mm were fabricated from each of five commercial ceramic blocks in shade A2: high-translucency and low-translucency IPS Empress CAD (Emp_HT and Emp_LT); high-translucency and low-translucency IPS e.max CAD (Emx_HT and Emx_LT); and Vita Mark II (Vita). The translucency parameter was obtained using a colorimeter. The light transmittance rate was measured using a photodetector attached to an optical power meter. The DC of a resin cement (Variolink N) underneath the ceramic plates was examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The translucency parameter, light transmittance rate, and DC showed significant differences by ceramic type and thickness (P < 0.05). The Emp_HT specimens showed the highest light transmission and DCs, and the Emx_LT showed the least light transmission and the lowest DCs. The high-translucency Empress showed significantly higher DCs than the low-translucency types (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in e.max (P > 0.05). Both type and thickness of the glass ceramics significantly influenced the light transmittance and DC of the light-cured resin cement beneath the ceramic of the same shade.
Aluminum Silicates ; Ceramics ; chemistry ; Color ; Dental Materials ; chemistry ; Dental Porcelain ; Light ; Materials Testing ; Resin Cements ; chemistry ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Surface Properties

Objective: To evaluate the application of mechanically reinforced 45S5 Bioglass^®-derived glass ceramic porous scaffolds for repair of bone defect in rabbits. Methods: The BG-ZnB powders were added into the 45S5 Bioglass^® powder/paraffin microsphere mixtures and were sintered at 900℃ to obtain porous scaffolds with highly bioactive BG-ZnB of 0%, 2% or 4% of mass fraction (denoted as 45S5/ZnB0, 45S5/ZnB2, 45S5/ZnB4). Phase composition, porosity and compression properties of three kinds of as-sintered scaffolds were characterized by X-ray analysis, mercury porosimetry, and mechanical test. Thirty-six male New Zealand rabbits with critical-sized femoral bone defects were randomly divided into three groups (45S5/ZnB0 group, 45S5/ZnB2 group and 45S5/ZnB4 group, 12 for each), and were implanted with three kinds of porous scaffolds respectively. X-ray, micro-CT three-dimensional reconstruction and tissue slice staining were used to detected the efficiency of bone regeneration at 6 and 16 weeks after operation. The growth of newly formed bone was observed using HE, Masson staining and EnVision method. Results: Phase compositions of 45S5/ZnB2 and 45S5/ZnB4 were the same with 45S5/ZnB0, but the average pore size and porosity of the scaffolds were decreased with the increase of BG-ZnB content. 45S5/ZnB2 and 45S5/ZnB4 scaffolds exhibited higher compressive strength, osteogenesis and trabecular density than those of the 45S5/ZnB0 scaffold (all P<0.05). With the mechanical reinforcement of BG-ZnB increased, the content of new bone, collagen type I and osteocalcin increased. Conclusion: Low-melt BG-ZnB-assisted sintering is a promising approach to improve the mechanical strength of 45S5 Bioglass^®.
Animals ; Bone and Bones ; drug effects ; physiology ; Ceramics ; chemistry ; Glass ; Male ; Porosity ; Rabbits ; Tissue Scaffolds ; chemistry

Sub-gingival anaerobic pathogens can colonize an implant surface to compromise osseointegration of dental implants once the soft tissue seal around the neck of an implant is broken. In vitro evaluations of implant materials are usually done in monoculture studies involving either tissue integration or bacterial colonization. Co-culture models, in which tissue cells and bacteria battle simultaneously for estate on an implant surface, have been demonstrated to provide a better in vitro mimic of the clinical situation. Here we aim to compare the surface coverage by U2OS osteoblasts cells prior to and after challenge by two anaerobic sub-gingival pathogens in a co-culture model on differently modified titanium (Ti), titanium-zirconium (TiZr) alloys and zirconia surfaces. Monoculture studies with either U2OS osteoblasts or bacteria were also carried out and indicated significant differences in biofilm formation between the implant materials, but interactions with U2OS osteoblasts were favourable on all materials. Adhering U2OS osteoblasts cells, however, were significantly more displaced from differently modified Ti surfaces by challenging sub-gingival pathogens than from TiZr alloys and zirconia variants. Combined with previous work employing a co-culture model consisting of human gingival fibroblasts and supra-gingival oral bacteria, results point to a different material selection to stimulate the formation of a soft tissue seal as compared to preservation of osseointegration under the unsterile conditions of the oral cavity.
Acid Etching, Dental ; methods ; Alloys ; chemistry ; Bacterial Adhesion ; physiology ; Bacteriological Techniques ; Biofilms ; Cell Adhesion ; physiology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; physiology ; Ceramics ; chemistry ; Coculture Techniques ; Dental Alloys ; chemistry ; Dental Etching ; methods ; Dental Implants ; microbiology ; Dental Materials ; chemistry ; Dental Polishing ; methods ; Humans ; Osseointegration ; physiology ; Osteoblasts ; physiology ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; physiology ; Prevotella intermedia ; physiology ; Surface Properties ; Titanium ; chemistry ; Yttrium ; chemistry ; Zirconium ; chemistry

OBJECTIVEThis study aims to investigate the color stability of ceromer with different thicknesses and different types of resin adhesive materials after accelerated aging and provide references for clinical application and selections.

METHODSNine groups of experimental samples were used, and each group contained five samples. We made joint samples with ceromer having three different thicknesses (1.00, 0.75, 0.50 mm) combined with three different resin adhesive materials (RelyX Veneer, RelyX Unicem, Filtek Z350 Flow), respectively. All samples were placed into Xenon Lamp Aging Instrument to implement accelerated aging. Spectrophotometer was used to measure the lightness (L*), red green color value (a*), and blue yellow color value (b*) of all samples before and after accelerated aging. The change of lightness (ΔL), red green color value (Δa), blue yellow color value (Δb), and color variation (ΔE) were also calculated. We investigated the influence of ceromer veneer thicknesses and resin adhesive material types on color variation by two-factor analysis of variance.

RESULTSThe thickness and type factors showed significant influence on ΔE values, and exhibited interactions (P < 0.05). The ΔE values of all experimental groups were lower than 3.3. After the accelerated aging process, all L*, a*, and b* values of the experimental groups decreased and the ΔL values were lower than 2.0.

CONCLUSIONCeromer veneer thickness and resin adhesive material types could affect the color stability of ceromer veneer and resin adhesive materials. The changes in lightness and color in ceromer veneer and resin adhesive materials are considered clinically acceptable after accelerated aging.

Ceramics ; Color ; Composite Resins ; Dental Cements ; chemistry ; Light ; Resin Cements

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of microwave sintering on the translucency of zirconia and to compare these effect with those of conventional sintering. The relationship between the microstructure of specimens and translucency was investigated.

METHODSA total of 10 disc-shaped specimens were fabricated from 2 commercial brands of zirconia, namely, Zenostar and Lava. Each group included 5 discs. Conventional sintering was performed according to the manufacturers' specifications. The maximum temperature for Zenostar was 1,490 °C, whereas that for Lava was 1,500 °C. The dwelling time was 2 h. The sintering temperature for microwave sintering was 1,420 °C, heating rate was 15 °C · min⁻¹, and dwelling time was 30 min. After sintering, the translucency parameter (TP) of the specimens were measured with ShadeEye NCC. The sintered density of the specimens was determined by Archimedes' method. The grain size and microstructure of the specimens were investigated by scanning electron microscopy.

RESULTSDensity and translucency slightly increased by microwave sintering, but no significant difference was found between microwave and conventional sintering (P > 0.05). Small and uniform microstructure were obtained from microwave sintering. The mean TP of Lava was significantly higher than that of Zenostar (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONThe translucency of zirconia sintered by microwave sintering is similar to that of the zirconia sintered by conventional sintering.

Ceramics ; chemistry ; Dental Prosthesis Design ; methods ; Heating ; Materials Testing ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Microwaves ; Surface Properties ; Technology, Dental ; methods ; Zirconium ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo prepare and characterize a nano-scale fibrous hydrophilic poly-L-lactic acid/ Bioglass (PLLA/BG) composite membrane and evaluate its biocompatibility as a composite membrane for guiding bone regeneration (GBR).

METHODSPLLA/BG-guided bone regeneration membrane was treated by oxygen plasma to improved its hydrophilicity. The growth of MG-63 osteoblasts on the membrane was observed using Hoechst fluorescence staining, and the biocompatibility of the membrane was evaluated by calculating the cells adhesion rate and proliferation rate. Osteogenesis of MG-63 cells was assessed by detecting alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and the formation of calcified nodules and cell morphology changes were observed using scanning electron microscope (SEM).

RESULTSThe cell adhesion rates of PLLA/BG-guided bone regeneration membrane treated with oxygen plasma were (30.570±0.96)%, (47.27±0.78)%, and (66.78±0.69)% at 1, 3, and 6 h, respectively, significantly higher than those on PLLA membrane and untreated PLLA/BG membrane (P<0.01). The cell proliferation rates on the 3 membranes increased with time, but highest on oxygen plasma-treated PLLA/BG membrane (P<0.01). Hoechst fluorescence staining revealed that oxygen plasma treatment of the PLLA/BG membrane promoted cell adhesion. The membranes with Bioglass promoted the matrix secretion of the osteoblasts. Under SEM, the formation of calcified nodules and spindle-shaped cell morphology were observed on oxygen plasma-treated PLLA/BG membrane.

CONCLUSIONOxygen plasma-treated PLLA/BG composite membrane has good biocompatibility and can promote adhesion, proliferation and osteogenesis of the osteoblasts.

Alkaline Phosphatase ; Biocompatible Materials ; chemistry ; Bone Regeneration ; Cell Adhesion ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Ceramics ; Guided Tissue Regeneration ; Humans ; Lactic Acid ; chemistry ; Osteoblasts ; cytology ; Osteogenesis ; Oxygen ; Polyesters ; Polymers ; chemistry