Effect of Consecutive Firings on the Optical and Mechanical Properties of Silicate and Lithium Disilicate Based Glass-Ceramics.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of multiple firings on the optical and mechanical properties of two dental CAD/CAM glass-ceramics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 45 specimens of each lithium disilicate-LD (IPS E.max CAD, Ivoclar Vivadent) and zirconia lithium silicate-ZLS (Vita Suprinity, Vita Zahnfabrik) material were prepared in a disk shape. These specimens were divided into three groups according to two factors: "type of ceramic" (LD and ZLS) and "numbers of firings" (Control 2F-two firings, 5F-five firings and 7F-seven firings). The firing cycles were performed according to the manufacturer's recommendations. X-ray diffraction was additionally performed to determine crystalline phases in each group, spectrophotometry was used to determine color and translucency variation, and biaxial flexural strength (BFS) evaluated the mechanical behavior. The data were analyzed individually using two-way ANOVA tests and Tukey's test at α = 0.05. RESULTS: The crystalline phases did not present any change after multiple firings for either of the analyzed materials. Both commercial materials showed a significant difference regarding translucency at 7F (p = <0.01), and ZLS presented a difference in color higher than one (ΔE > 1) at 5F and 7F. Regardless of the number of firings, LD presented a higher BFS compared to ZLS (p = <0.001), and a significant increase in BFS comparing 2F and 7F (p = <0.024). CONCLUSION: The use of multiple firings can significantly alter the color, translucency, and mechanical strength of CAD/CAM ceramics.

Biofilm formation and cell viability on monolithic zirconia with silver-doped sodalime glass.

The present study evaluated the effect of glass application with and without silver-doped soda-lime glass on roughness, biofilm formation, cell viability and flexural strength of a zirconia. Samples of 3-YTZP (3 mol% yttria stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals) were divided into: polished (P); glaze (G); glass infiltration (INF); 4% silver-doped soda-lime glass (Ag4); glass infiltration + 4% silver-doped soda-lime glass (INF-Ag4); 5% silver-doped soda-lime glass (Ag5); glass infiltration + 5% silver-doped soda-lime glass (INF-Ag5). Samples were submitted to the following analyses: roughness (Ra); free surface energy (FSE); colony-forming units count (log CFU/mL); scanning electron microscopy (SEM); cytotoxicity (MTT assay) and flexural strength. Ag5 had greater roughness and FSE, but less biofilm adherence. In the CFU, silver-doped soda-lime glass groups inhibited the growth of Candida albicans, while the Ag5 inhibited Streptococcus mutans and none of the groups was effective against Streptococcus sanguinis. In the qualitative evaluation, lower number of colonies in the Ag5 grew up, compared to the control groups (P; G and INF) for both C. albicans and S. mutans. Regarding the MTT assay, the Ag4, INF-Ag4 and INF-Ag5 obtained percentage of cell viability greater than 50%. Ag5 showed lower flexural strength when compared to the control groups, while the application of glass infiltration increased the flexural strength by formation of a graded region between zirconia-glass. In conclusion, Ag5 had the greatest antimicrobial effect, Ag4 and INF-Ag4 were the less cytotoxic and the INF was the most resistant to fracture. Therefore, INF-Ag4 conciliates the best performance in terms of antimicrobial and mechanical properties for a 3-YTZP.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of fully sintered zirconia glazed with an experimental glass.

The need for improved mechanical properties in regions of higher masticatory loads led to the introduction of zirconia in dentistry. However, zirconia needs a characterization and glaze to have a more natural, tooth-like appearance. An experimental glass was produced based on the sol-gel method to exhibit a thermal expansion coefficient similar to that presented by zirconia. The experimental glass was used as glazing material on the previously sintered zirconia (vita YZ) surface. There was a significant reduction in the roughness and hardness of the material, caused by the formation of smooth, void-free and highly uniform glass coating. The glass infiltrated among superficial zirconia grains and caused the formation of monoclinic zirconia at the zirconia/glass interface. A consequent decrease in surface roughness and an increase in flexural strength and reliability was then observed in the experimental glass group. On the other hand, a significant decrease in the reliability of conventionally glazed group was observed. Therefore, the use of experimental glass instead of conventional glaze can improve the mechanical properties, smoothness, and mechanical reliability of fully sintered zirconia.

Survival Analysis and Torque Loosening of Experimental Screw After Mechanical Performance for Micro Conical Abutment

ABSTRACT: The most common failure in implantology are due to mechanical instability. Torque loosening or fracture of the screws are the most frequent complications. Furthermore, the fractured screw retrieval is complicated and time-consuming. So, modifications in the design of implant systems are justifiable to offer a greater degree of biomechanical stability. Thus, the present study proposes to evaluate an experimental geometry for abutment screw regarding failure probability and torque loss. Twenty implant/abutments sets (e-fix, A.S. Technology - Titanium Fix) were divided into the following groups (n=10 in each group): (1) Conventional screw (Screw neck ø 1.5 mm) and (2) Experimental screw (screw neck constricted ø 1.2 mm). The abutments were tightened with a controlled torque meter device following the manufacturer's recommendations. Mechanical cycling was carried out with a load of 50 N.cm during 5 x 10 6 cycles with a frequency of 2 Hz at a temperature of 37°C (ISO 14801). A digital torque meter was used to measure the reverse torque values of the prosthetic screw and the micro abutment screw, before and after loading. Data were statistically analyzed by One-way Anova and Tukey test (95 %). The results of the mean values of torque loss of the micro abutment screw were 58.44 % for the control group and 55.31 % for the experimental group and the mean torque loss for the prosthetic screw was 53.3 % and 61.3 % of the conventional and experimental groups, respectively. The survival probability was 100 % for both screw groups. It was concluded that experimental screw showed a similar behavior to conventional screws, showing similar reliability after fatigue life testing.

RESUMEN: En implantología las fallas más habituales se deben a la inestabilidad mecánica. El aflojamiento del torque o la fractura de los tornillos son las complicaciones más frecuentes. Además, la recuperación del tornillo fracturado es complicada y requiere mucho tiempo. Por tanto, las modificaciones en el diseño de los sistemas de implantes están justificados para ofrecer un mayor grado de estabilidad biomecánica. Por lo tanto, el presente estudio propone evaluar una geometría experimental para tornillo de pilar en cuanto a probabilidad de falla y pérdida de torque. Se dividieron veinte conjuntos de implantes / pilares (e-fix, AS Technology - Titanium Fix) en los siguientes grupos (n = 10 en cada grupo): (1) Tornillo convencional (cuello de tornillo ø 1,5 mm) y (2) Tornillo experimental (cuello de rosca estrechado ø 1,2 mm). Los pilares se apretaron con un dispositivo medidor de torque controlado siguiendo las recomendaciones del fabricante. El ciclo mecánico se realizó con una carga de 50 N.cm durante 5 x 10 6 ciclos con una frecuencia de 2 Hz a una temperatura de 37° C (ISO 14801). Se utilizó un medidor de torque digital para medir los valores de torque inverso del tornillo protésico y el tornillo de micro pilar, antes y después de la carga. Los datos se analizaron estadísticamente mediante la prueba One-way Anova y Tukey (95%). Los resultados de los valores medios de pérdida de torque del micro tornillo de pilar fueron 58,44 % para el grupo de control y 55,31 % para el grupo experimental y la pérdida de torque media para el tornillo protésico fue 53,3 % y 61,3 % de los grupos convencional y experimental, respectivamente. La probabilidad de supervivencia fue del 100 % para ambos grupos de tornillos. Se concluyó que el tornillo experimental mostró un comportamiento similar a los tornillos convencionales, mostrando una fiabilidad similar después de la prueba de vida a fatiga.