Fracture toughness of three heat pressed ceramic systems

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate fracture toughness by indentation method of three dental ceramics processed by heat pressing. The ceramics evaluated were fluorapatite glass ceramic (ZIR), glass ceramic containing leucite (POM) and leucite-reinforced glass ceramic (EMP). Materials and methods: Ninety disks (13mm of diameter x 4mm of thickness) and nine rectangular specimens (25x4x2mm) were made to evaluate, respectively, microhardness/fracture toughness (n=30) and elastic modulus (n=3). Samples were obtained by pressing ceramic into refractory molds. After polishing, Vickers microhardness was evaluated under 4,904N load for 20s. Elastic modulus was measured by impulse excitation technique. Data from microhardness and elastic modulus were used to calculate fracture toughness, after measuring crack length under 19,6N load applied for 20s. Results were evaluated by ANOVA and Tukey´s test. Results: Microhardness (VHN) of POM (637.9±53.6) was statistically greater (p<0.05) than ZIR (593.0±14.3), followed by EMP (519.1±21.5); no significant difference (p=0.206) was noted for elastic modulus (GPa) (ZIR: 71.5±9.0; POM: 67.3±4.4; EMP: 61.7±2.3). Fracture toughness (MPa/m) of POM (0.873±0.066) was statistically lower (p<0.05) than ZIR (0.977±0.021) and EMP (0.965±0.035). Conclusion: The results suggest that fluorapatite glass ceramic (ZIR) and leucite-reinforced glass ceramic (EMP) processed by heat pressing presented greater fracture toughness, improving clinical prognosis of metal free restorations

Wear resistance and compression strength of ceramics tested in fluoride environments.

Dental ceramics have been widely used because of aesthetic, but wear is still questioned. There are relates that ceramic surface is prone to degradation by acidulated fluoride, that can increase wear rates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of neutral and acidulated fluoride gel, used as preventive agents for professional use, at wear and compression strength of dental ceramics IPS e.max ZirPress (ZIR), IPS Empress Esthetic (EMP) e IPS Inline POM (POM). For this, 30 crowns and 30 disks were obtained by heat-pressing. Crowns and disks were submitted to two-body wear test at machine of mechanical loading, simulating occlusion, lateral movement and disocclusion. It was performed 300,000 cycles at 1Hz frequency under 20N load, to simulate 1 year of mastication. Samples were totally immersed during the test and were divided into three groups according to the gel used for immersion (n=10): control, neutral (sodium fluoride 2%) and acidulated (acidulated phosphate fluoride 1.23%). Samples (crowns and disks) were analyzed for vertical height loss after the test using, respectively, profile projector and stereomicroscope. Roughness of worn surface of crowns and disks was evaluated by laser confocal microscopy. Data of height loss and roughness were evaluated by two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni's test. A crown/disk of each group was analyzed by scanning electronic microscopy. After wear resistance tests, crowns were cemented to their abutments and submitted to compressive load at 30° angulation and 1mm/min speed. Type of failures was compared by qui-square test. Ceramic EMP worn less while ZIR worn more. Control gel worn more at crowns while acidulated gel worn more at disks. Surface roughness of samples tested at acidulated gel was significantly lower. Type of failures found at compression resistance tests was affected by ceramic type, but not by gel used. The results suggest that ceramic and fluoride gel affect wear and roughness of worn surface while type of failure is only affected by ceramic.

Impact of sleep bruxism on masseter and temporalis muscles and bite force.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the impact of sleep bruxism (SB) on electromyography (EMG) activity and the thickness of the masseter and temporal and maximal molar bite force. METHOD: Ninety individuals, aged between 18 and 45 years, were selected and divided into two groups: Group I (case group, 45 individuals with SB) and Group II (control group, 45 individuals without SB). A diagnosis of SB was made from polysomnography. RESULTS: The data obtained from EMG and the muscle thickness and the maximal molar bite force were tabulated (SPSS 21.0), normalized, and subjected to statistical analysis (p ≤ 0.05). Comparisons between the groups showed significant differences regarding the habitual chewing of hard food for the left temporalis muscle (p = 0.04) and the chewing of soft food for the right masseter muscle (p = 0.04), but no significant differences for the measurements of muscle thickness and maximal molar bite force. DISCUSSION: The present data suggest that SB negatively altered the masticatory muscles' functions. Based on the results of this research, it can be concluded that individuals with SB showed decreased EMG activity in the masticatory muscles.