The influence of clinically induced variability on the bi-axial fracture strength of cemented aluminous core porcelain discs.

OBJECTIVES

Zinc phosphate cements are supplied in powder/liquid form so that a range of mixing ratios are naturally generated in clinical practice. However, these cements are known to have a deleterious effect on dental ceramics and the impact of variations in cement mixing on the strength of dental porcelain was investigated in the present study.

METHODS

Vitadur-N core porcelain was fabricated into discs (15 mm diameter and 2 mm thickness), zinc phosphate cements of different mixing ratios were applied to the discs to produce a luting cement thickness and the samples were stored for 24 h prior to testing in a water-bath at 37 +/- 1 degrees C. The mean fracture strength, standard deviation and associated Weibull moduli (m) of the coated porcelain discs were determined as a function of mixing ratio using bi-axial flexure (ball-on-ring) by fracturing sets of 30 specimens coated with cements manipulated at different mixing ratios.

RESULTS

The strength data for the coated porcelain discs showed little variation in magnitude and consistency ranging from 108 +/- 8.3 MPa (m = 14.0 +/- 2.6) at 1.7 g/ml to 112 +/- 8.5 MPa (m = 14.6 +/- 2.7) at 2.6 g/ml and 108 +/- 8.1 MPa (m = 14.4 +/- 2.6) at 3.2 g/ml. However, the plots of survival probability against strength for coated specimens prepared using mixing ratios below that recommended by the manufacturers' for luting purposes (2.6 g/ml), appeared to develop an asymmetry at the lower values of strength.

SIGNIFICANCE

It was proposed that the increased corrosive acidic environment for cements prepared at mixing ratios below 2.6 g/ml may have extended pre-existing flaws in the porcelain discs thereby possibly producing the asymmetry in the survival distributions.