Effect of High-Speed Sintering on the Optical Properties, Microstructure, and Phase Distribution of Multilayered Zirconia Stabilized with 5 mol% Yttria

As dental 5 mol% yttria-stabilized (5Y-) zirconia demand high esthetics, it is necessary to clarify how the optical properties are affected by high-speed sintering, which is not yet fully understood. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of high-speed sintering on the translucency and opalescence parameters (TP and OP, respectively), as well as their related microstructure and phase distribution, using two types of multilayered 5Y-zirconia. Multilayered 5Y-zirconia (Cercon xt ML, Lava Esthetic) were cut layer-by-layer, followed by conventional and high-speed sintering. The TP and OP values were subsequently obtained using a spectrophotometer, and field emission scanning electron microscopy images were used to analyze the average grain size. The phase fractions were analyzed using X-ray diffraction. Regardless of the zirconia type, the TP was slightly lowered by high-speed sintering in all the layers except the dentin layer (DL) for Lava Esthetic (p < 0.05). The OP decreased by high-speed sintering in the DL for Cercon xt ML and in all the layers for Lava Esthetic (p < 0.05). The decrease in translucency after high-speed sintering was attributed to a decrease in the yttria-rich t’-phase with low tetragonality, along with an increase in the yttria-lean t-phase with high tetragonality.