Influence of porcelain-firing procedures on the marginal distortion of electroformed metal-ceramic restorations.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of firing procedures on the marginal distortion of electroformed metal-ceramic crown restorations. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Twenty-four standardized specimens were fabricated using a gold-electroforming system and were characterized by 3 finish line forms: shoulder (S-type), rounded shoulder (RS-type), and deep chamfer (DC-type) preparations. Marginal discrepancies were measured at 6 stages: before the firing procedures, after the gold-bonder application, after the opaque porcelain firing, after the dentin porcelain firing, after the enamel porcelain firing, and after the glazing firing. Marginal discrepancy values were recorded at 60 randomly chosen points along the circumferential margin using a laser microscope. Marginal distortion values were defined as the differences in the marginal discrepancies between the baseline (prefiring) levels and those after each firing procedure. All statistical analyses were performed using the Friedman and Kruskal-Wallis tests (alpha = .05). RESULTS: For all of the finish line forms, the marginal distortion values were altered by the subsequent firing procedures. The largest marginal distortion values were observed after the first firing procedure. The total marginal distortion values were 34.2, 6.9, and 5.2 mu m for the S-, RS-, and DC-type preparations, respectively. CONCLUSION: The porcelain-firing procedures influenced the marginal distortion of electroformed metal-ceramic crown restorations. The marginal distortion values of the S-type preparations were the highest among the 3 groups tested.

Influence of finish line design on marginal adaptation of electroformed metal-ceramic crowns.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Gold electroformed metal-ceramic restorations have been promoted as alternatives to conventional metal-ceramic restorations. However, little is known about the relationship between tooth preparation design and marginal adaptation for this type of crown. PURPOSE: This study evaluated the influence of 3 different finish line designs on the marginal adaptation of electroformed metal copings and metal-ceramic crowns. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three steel dies were prepared for maxillary central incisor crowns with 3 finish line designs: shoulder, rounded shoulder, and deep chamfer preparations. Eight standardized electroformed metal-ceramic crowns were fabricated for each group. Marginal discrepancies were measured at 60 points for each specimen along the circumferential margin at 4 sites (labial, mesial, lingual, and distal surfaces, with 15 points for each site) before and after firing procedures using a laser microscope. Data among the 3 different groups were statistically analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney U test with the Bonferroni correction. Marginal discrepancies between prefiring and postfiring procedures were evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test (alpha = .05). RESULTS: Significant differences in the marginal discrepancies of electroformed metal copings without porcelain and metal-ceramic crowns were found among all groups. The lowest range of median marginal discrepancy values (P < .05) at 4 sites, both before and after firing, occurred with the deep chamfer preparation (17.64-21.78 microm and 23.96-25.72 microm, respectively). The highest range values were observed in the shoulder preparation (38.13-49.89 microm and 73.87-89.44 microm, respectively). In all situations, the marginal discrepancies of the postfiring procedures were significantly greater (P = .02 or less) than those of the prefiring procedures. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study, the marginal adaptation of electroformed metal copings or metal-ceramic crowns is affected by finish line design and sequentially diminished by porcelain firing procedures.

The effect of IL-1beta on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases in human chondrocytes.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) plays key roles in altering cartilage matrix turnover. This turnover is regulated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs). In the present study, we examined the effect of IL-1beta on cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) activity, and the expression of MMPs, and TIMPs in chondrocytes derived from normal human femoral cartilage. The cells were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 15% fetal bovine serum and 0, 1, 10, or 100 U/ml of IL-1beta for up to 28 days. The level of expression of MMPs and TIMPs was estimated by determining mRNA levels using real-time PCR and by determining protein levels using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cell proliferation decreased in the presence of IL-1beta after day 21 of culture. ALPase activity decreased significantly in the presence of IL-1beta after day 10 of culture. The expression of MMP-1, -2, and -3 increased markedly in the presence of IL-1beta after day 21 of culture. MMP-13 expression increased markedly in the presence of IL-1beta on day 1 of culture, but decreased markedly after day 7. The expression of TIMP-1 increased significantly after day 14 of culture. The expression of TIMP-2 decreased significantly on day 1, but increased significantly from day 3 to day 14 of culture. These results suggest that IL-1beta may stimulate cartilage matrix turnover by increasing mainly MMP-13 production by the cells.

Effect of IL-1alpha on the expression of cartilage matrix proteins in human chondrosarcoma cell line OUMS-27.

We examined the effect of the inflammatory mediator interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) on cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) activity, and the expressions of cartilage matrix proteins, bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), and BMP-2 receptors in human chondrosarcoma cell line OUMS-27 (chondrocytes). The cells were cultured with Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 15% fetal bovine serum with 0, 1, 10, or 100 units/ml of IL-1alpha for up to 14 days. The expressions of cartilage matrix proteins, BMP-2, and BMP-2 receptors were estimated by determining mRNA levels using semiquantitative or real-time PCR and/or by determining protein levels using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cell proliferation was decreased after 5 days in culture with IL-1alpha. The ALPase activity was decreased significantly in the presence of IL-1alpha until day 10 of culture. The expression of type II collagen was significantly decreased after 7 days in culture with IL-1alpha. The expressions of aggrecan and link protein were significantly decreased through day 14 of culture with IL-1alpha. The expression of BMP-2 was increased at days 3, 7, and 14 of culture with IL-1alpha, while the expression of type II receptor for BMP-2 was significantly decreased in the samples. These results suggest that IL-1alpha suppresses the expression of cartilage matrix proteins through a suppression of the autocrine action of BMP-2, brought about by the decrease in BMP-2 receptor expression in chondrocytes.