Effect of thermal cycling on the flexural strength of 3-D printed, CAD/CAM milled and heat-polymerized denture base materials.

BACKGROUND: This study compared the impact of thermal cycling on the flexural strength of denture-base materials produced through conventional and digital methods, using both subtractive and additive approaches. METHODS: In total, 60 rectangular specimens were fabricated with specific dimensions for flexural strength tests. The dimensions were set according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guideline 20795-1:2013 as 64 × 10 × 3.3 ± 0.2 mm. Specimens from each material group were divided into two subgroups (thermal cycled or nonthermal cycled, n = 10/group). We used distinct methods to produce three different denture-base materials: Ivobase (IB), which is a computer-aided-design/computer-aided-manufacturing-type milled pre-polymerized polymethyl methacrylate resin disc; Formlabs (FL), a 3D-printed denture-base resin; and Meliodent (MD), a conventional heat-polymerized acrylic. Flexural strength tests were performed on half of the samples without a thermal-cycle procedure, and the other half were tested after a thermal cycle. The data were analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance and a post hoc Tukey test (α = 0.05). RESULTS: Based on the results of flexural-strength testing, the ranking was as follows: FL > IB > MD. The effect of thermal aging was statistically significant for the FL and IB bases, but not for the MD base. CONCLUSIONS: Digitally produced denture bases exhibited superior flexural strength compared with conventionally manufactured bases. Although thermal cycling reduced flexural strength in all groups, the decrease was not statistically significant in the heat-polymerized acrylic group.

Effect of thermocycling on the mechanical properties of permanent composite-based CAD-CAM restorative materials produced by additive and subtractive manufacturing techniques.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to determine and compare the biaxial flexural strength (BFS) and Vickers hardness (VHN) of additive and subtractive manufactured permanent composite-based restorative materials, before and after thermal aging. METHODS: A total of 200 specimens were prepared; 100 disc-shaped specimens (diameter 13 × 1.2 mm) for the BFS test and 100 square specimens (14 × 14 × 2 mm) for the VHN test. The specimens were made from various materials: two subtractive composite-based blocks (Cerasmart 270 [CS], Vita Enamic [VE]), two additive composite-based resins used for two different vat polymerization methods (digital light processing [DLP]; Saremco Print Crowntec [SC] and stereolithography [SLA]; Formlabs Permanent Crown Resin [FP]), and one feldspathic glass-matrix ceramic block (Vita Mark II [VM]) as the control group. Specimens of each material were divided into two subgroups: thermal cycled or non-thermal cycled (n = 10). BFS and VHN tests were performed on all groups. Data were analyzed with two-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey test (α = 0.05). RESULTS: The type of restorative material used for the specimen had a statistically significant influence on both BFS and VHN values. However, thermal cycling did not affect the BFS and VHN values. After thermal cycling, the results of the BFS test were ranked from best to worst as follows: CS, FP, SC, VE, then VM. For the VHN values, the order from best to worst was as follows: VM, VE, CS, FP, then SC. CONCLUSIONS: 3D printed and milled composite groups showed higher BFS than feldspathic ceramics. When the VHN results were examined, it was seen that the 3D resin groups had the lowest VHN values. Furthermore, it was observed that the thermal cycle had no effect on BFS or VHN.

Comparison of Surface Roughness and Color Stability of Different Denture Characterizing Composite Resins: The Effect of Different Surface Treatments.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of surface treatment and type of composite resin material on the color stability and surface roughness of different denture characterizing composites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two nanohybrids [Gradia Plus Gum, (GP) and SR Nexco Paste Gingiva, (SR)] and one microhybrid gingiva-colored composite resin [Amaris Gingiva, (AG)] were investigated. A total of 120 disk-shaped samples were prepared, 40 of each material. Samples were divided into two groups (n = 20) for each material according to the surface treatment applied: conventional polishing (control) and coated with a sealant in addition to the surface polishing. All groups were thermocycled. The surface roughness (Ra) was measured using a profilometer after thermal cycling. The samples were then divided into 2 subgroups (n = 10) and stored for 7 days in distilled water or coffee solution. Color differences (ΔE00 ) were calculated with a spectrophotometer. Results were evaluated with Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U statistical analysis. RESULTS: The type of denture characterizing composite material and surface treatment method revealed statistically significant differences for the ΔE00 (after immersion both in coffee and distilled water) and the Ra values of denture characterizing composite (p < 0.001 for both). All sealed groups showed significantly higher Ra than the all polished groups. Both in the polished groups and the sealant applied groups, the GP had the highest mean Ra values (0.29 ±0.05 µm and 0.47 ±0.09 µm, respectively). It was followed by SR (0.23 ±0.06 µm and 0.41 ±0.10 µm, respectively), and AG groups (0.20 ±0.06 µm and 0.39 ±0.09 µm, respectively). According to the mean ΔE00 results, all composite groups showed significantly higher ΔE00 values immersed in coffee solutions compared to distilled water. In coffee solutions, the highest ΔE00 was observed in the polished GP (1.90 ±0.40), and the lowest ΔE00 was observed in the polished SR (0.97 ±0.36). The sealed groups showed higher ΔE00 than the polished groups, except for GP. CONCLUSIONS: The surface roughness value of sealant applied groups were significantly higher than those of the polished groups. The surface sealant application significantly increased the staining of all composite groups compared to conventional polishing, except for GP.

The effect of nonthermal argon plasma surface treatment on the fracture resistance of monolithic zirconia restorations containing tetragonal and cubic grains.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of nonthermal argon plasma (NP) surface treatment on the fracture resistance of monolithic zirconia restorations with different microstructures. METHODS: Twenty restorations were prepared from each of two tetragonal and two cubic zirconia materials (80 restorations in total). The restorations were then divided into two subgroups (n = 10) for each material according to the surface treatment applied: air abrasion or NP. The surface topography of the treated groups was examined using a scanning electron microscope. All restorations were fixed to metal dies with resin cement, subjected to thermal cycling, and then underwent fracture resistance testing with a universal testing device. Two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni tests were used for statistical analysis of the data (α = 0.05). RESULTS: The type of surface treatment and the type of zirconia material were shown to significantly affect the fracture resistance of the restorations. The air-abraded groups showed significantly higher fracture resistance (N) than the NP groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that air abrasion surface treatment has a more favorable effect on the fracture resistance of tetragonal and cubic zirconia restorations than NP surface treatment.