Effect of loading conditions on bi-axial flexure strength of dental cements.

A ball-on-three-ball bi-axial flexure test was used to evaluate the flexure strengths of five kinds of dental cements (zinc phosphate, polycarboxylate, glass ionomer, silicate, and zinc oxide-eugenol cements). The bi-axial flexure strengths of zinc phosphate cement discs of variable dimensions were also measured to determine the size effects of test specimens. Finite element stress analyses were performed on disc specimens which were subjected to both a concentrated load and a uniformly distributed load. The observed values were compared with the theoretical value calculated by the finite element method. A ball-on-three-ball bi-axial flexure test could not be used for thicker specimens, since the fracture origin of these specimens is more likely to occur on the loaded side.