Ageing of Zirconia Dedicated to Dental Prostheses for Bruxers Part 1: Influence of Accelerating Ageing for Surface Topography and Mechanical Properties

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Zirconia is a commonly used ceramic for fixed full-ceramic restorations. Porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations applied for bruxers are often very quickly destroyed by this group of patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of accelerated aging tests on BruxZir HT 2.0 zirconia. METHODS: Zirconia samples were prepared with ISO 13356:2013 and ISO 14704:2008 protocol recommendations. The ageing conditions were times of 2.5, 5 and 10 hours, and pressure of 0.2 MPa and a temperature of 134°C. RESULTS: The correlation between ageing time and mechanical properties, particularly hardness, was difficult to find, while correlations between hardness and the surface topography and fracturing were clear. CONCLUSION: On the basis of the conducted research, it can be stated that BruxZir HT 2.0 zirconia meets the technical requirements for medical grade zirconia used in dental technology. Future investigations should include phase composition research.