Effect of thickness, translucency, and substrates on the masking ability of a polymer-infiltrated ceramic-network material.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this in vitro study is to evaluate the masking ability of polymer-infiltrated ceramic-network materials (PICN) with different translucencies and thicknesses on multiple types of substrates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ceramic samples were prepared of VITA ENAMIC blocks in two different translucencies (2M2-T, 2M2-HT) in a thickness range of 0.5-2.5 mm (±0.05 mm). Layered specimens were obtained using composite substrates in nine shades and transparent try-in paste. Spectral reflectance of specimens was measured using a Konica Minolta CM-3720d spectrophotometer and D65 standard illumination. CIEDE2000 color difference (ΔE00 ) between two samples was evaluated using 50%:50% perceptibility and acceptability thresholds. Specular component of the reflection was examined with Specular Component Excluded (SCE) and Included (SCI) settings. Statistical evaluation was performed by linear regression analysis, Kruskal-Wallis test, and multiplicative effect analysis. RESULTS: An increase in thickness of 0.5 mm reduces ΔE00 of HT samples to 73.5%, of T samples to 60.5% (p < 0.0001). Five substrates with HT specimens, and three substrates with T specimens had significantly different results from average (p < 0.05). There is a significant difference between SCE and SCI data depending on the wavelength (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Masking ability of PICN materials is influenced by the thickness and translucency of the ceramic, and by the substrate. Reflection of the examined PICN material is characterized by both diffuse and specular reflection. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Although PICN materials have been available on the market for 10 years now, there is a lack of information regarding their masking ability. Acquiring in-depth data and thereby practical experience of the factors affecting the esthetics of PICN materials is essential for creating perfectly lifelike restorations.

A Multi-Analytical Approach for Studying the Effect of New LED Lighting Systems on Modern Paints: Chemical Stability Investigations.

This study aims to investigate the chemical stability of some modern paint samples exposed to a new Light Emitting Diode (LED)-lighting system and a halogen lamp by using micro-attenuated total reflectance of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (µ-ATR-FTIR), µ-Raman, pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), and thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation of GC/MS (THM-GC/MS). Those investigations were performed before and after the exposure of the samples to lightings for 1250, 2400, 3300, and 5000 h. The results obtained with µ-Raman spectroscopy show the high stability of the selected inorganic pigments after the exposure to the lighting systems; while similar to the UV/Vis/NIR results reported in a previous study, µ-ATR-FTIR and THM-GC/MS results evidence greater chemical changes occurring principally on the linseed oil binder-based mock-ups among the acrylic and alkyd-based samples. Moreover, principal component analyses (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analyses (HCA) of THM-GC/MS results highlight that those changes were mostly dependent on the exposure time and on the type of pigment, while being independent of the lighting system used. Finally, semi-quantitative µ-ATR-FTIR results show slight pigment enrichment at the paint surface due to the auto and photo-oxidative degradation of the linseed oil binder.

The effect of new LED lighting systems on the colour of modern paints.

This research focuses on the investigation of the effect of a new light emitting diode (LED)-lighting system which reproduces indoor museum conditions, on some self-made art paint colours (acrylic-, alkyd-, and linseed oil-based paints) often used in modern-contemporary art. A halogen lamp representing a traditional light source for museum lighting was also considered. Lighting-set-up and lighting optimization parameters were considered while Ultraviolet/Visible/Near Infrared (UV/Vis/NIR) spectrophotometry was used for investigating the colour change of the paint samples. Univariate analyses allowed determining the highest effect of the lighting systems on the linseed oil binder and ultramarine blue PB29 mixture upon ageing, according to the highest total colour change ΔE*ab. In a more specific and detailed way, variance analyses not only demonstrated the strong correlation between the type of binder and pigment used for the paint samples with the colour variation, but also showed that the short-wavelength blue LEDs influenced the change along the yellow-blue b* axis of the yellow and blue samples, whereas the halogen lamp mostly had an impact towards the red-green a* axis of mostly the green specimens.